Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
You may be a learned priest and I just a weaver — but can you really understand the wisdom in my heart?
You go asking favors from kings, while I rest content in the One.
Real dignity comes from the One inside you, not from rank.
Kabir ends by owning who he is, with his head held high. Toon baamhan mai kaaseek julhaa — you are a Brahmin, and I am a weaver from Kashi, the city also called Benares. Boojhhu mor gi-aanaa — can you understand my wisdom? He does not say sorry for his humble work. He is proud of it. And he suggests the wisdom of the heart can run deeper than book learning.
Then comes a surprise. Tumh ta-o jaachay bhoopat raajay — you go asking favors from kings and emperors. Har sa-o mor dhi-aanaa — my attention rests on the One. The man with high rank ends up depending on powerful people. The weaver, content with the One, depends on no one.
This is about hollowness, not about any group of people. Think of someone who needs a famous friend's approval, and someone who is happy just being themselves. Who is really free? Freedom and dignity come from the One within, never from rank.
What does it mean to have quiet dignity and not need anyone's approval or favors to feel worthy?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI