Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
The pandits, the Hindu scholars, are dazed and drunk on reading the Puraanas, the old holy stories.
The yogis are drunk on their yoga and meditation.
The sannyasis, who gave up home and belongings, are drunk on their pride.
And those who put their bodies through hard trials are drunk on the secrets of their trials.
You can get so full of your own practice that you miss the point.
The word maatay means drunk or dazed, and it comes four times.
Pandit jan maatay — the scholars are dazed, reading the Puraanas, the old holy stories. Jogee maatay jog Dhi-aan — the yogis are dazed in their yoga and meditation. The sani-aasee, who give up home and belongings, are dazed with pride. The tapsee, who put their bodies through hard trials, are dazed by their own effort. Each one is drunk on their own practice and pride.
Think of a runner so busy admiring their fancy shoes that they miss the starting whistle. The shoes are fine. Forgetting the race is the problem. Kabir aims at empty pride in any role, in every faith alike.
When have you been so focused on doing something the right way that you missed the point of it?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI