Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Someone can put on all the outfits of a holy person — the walking stick, the earrings, the patched robe, the begging bowl.
But if inside there is only confusion, the costume alone does not get you anywhere. What you wear is not the same as what you are.
Wearing holy clothes is not the same as being holy.
Bhagat Kabir describes a yogi, a wandering holy man of his day. Dandaa mundraa khinthaa aaDhaaree — he carries a dandaa, a walking stick, and wears mundraa, big earrings. He has a khinthaa, a patched coat, and an aaDhaaree, a begging bowl.
Bharam kai bhaa-ay bhavai bhaykh-Dhaaree — the bhaykh-Dhaaree, the one in costume, wanders around lost in bharam, doubt. Think of putting on a football jersey. It does not make you a football player. You still have to learn and practice.
Kabir is not mocking people. He is pointing at outer show with nothing inside, which can happen in any faith, anywhere.
Can you think of a time when something looked one way on the outside but was different inside?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI