Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
In my house, I weave thread every day at my loom. You wear the sacred thread around your neck.
You read the holy books and sing the sacred hymns. But I have made a home for the One right inside my heart.
A humble worker with the One in his heart stands as tall as anyone.
Bhagat Kabir was a weaver. He made cloth on a loom all day. Here he speaks to a Brahmin, a priest from a family that was given high rank in the society of his time. The Brahmin wears the janeu, the sacred thread, around his neck. He reads the Vedas, the old holy books, and sings the Gaa-itree, a sacred hymn.
Kabir has only his daily work. Ham ghar soot taneh nit taanaa — in my house, I weave thread every day. Then comes the line that makes everyone equal: gobind ridai hamaaray — the One lives in my heart.
Kabir is not mocking learning or prayer. He is saying that outer signs are not enough on their own. Think of a shiny trophy on a shelf compared with a real friend who stands by you. Your worth does not come from your job, your family's rank or how many books you have read. It comes from having the One inside.
Why is a person's kindness and heart worth more than their rank, class, or how important they seem?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI