So Much Restlessness Dances to a Frantic Drum

Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa

The Pause captures the stillness beautifully: I no longer dance to the tune; my mind no longer beats the drum. The grasping mind is like a drummer beating out a frantic rhythm that keeps us dancing — always reacting, always chasing the next thing the drum demands. Kabir says that drumming has stopped. He's no longer jerked around by every craving and impulse; the compulsive inner music that made him dance has gone quiet. For a child, this is a lovely picture of freedom: so much of our restlessness is dancing to a drum inside us that we didn't even choose. When that drum goes quiet, you can finally just be still — and the stillness is peace.