Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
The One I love and I actually live together, closer than close.
We share the very same space — and yet truly meeting, heart to heart, is precious and doesn't come easily.
Kabir names the beautiful paradox at the heart of the shabad: the bride and the Groom dwell together, they lie upon the one bed — the soul and the One are already together, sharing the very same space, closer than close — and yet their union is difficult. How can two who live in the same place still find meeting hard? Because nearness and true union aren't the same thing. The One is always right here, within you — but actually feeling the meeting, merging heart to heart, asks something of us: the small self has to open, the ego has to soften, grace has to be received. For a child: the One is already with you, always — and yet the deep, felt union is a precious thing that grows, not a thing that happens automatically. So close, and still worth longing for.
How can someone be right beside you and yet feel far — and what closes that distance?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI