Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
He alone is a Sultan, a king, who draws back the two arrows,
and brings his wandering mind back home inside.
He gathers his army in the sky of the mind, the Tenth Gate.
Over such a Sultan the royal canopy waves.
The crown belongs to the one who wins the kingdom of his own mind.
The Sultan (king) is honored by inner work too: so surtaan jo du-ay sar taanai — “the true king draws the two arrows,” gathering the baahar jaataa (the outgoing, scattered mind) back within, mustering his forces in the gagan mandal (the inner sky, the Tenth Gate). The arrows and the army are pictures of focused attention. The only conquest Kabir honors here is the conquest of oneself, and chhatar sir dharai, the royal canopy, belongs over that ruler.
What would it mean to be 'the boss' of your own attention instead of it bossing you?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI