ਕਾਸੀ ਤੇ ਧੁਨਿ ਊਪਜੈ ਧੁਨਿ ਕਾਸੀ ਜਾਈ ॥
kaasee tay Dhun oopjai Dhun kaasee jaa-ee.
The sound made from bronze, that sound goes into the bronze again.
ਕਾਸੀ ਫੂਟੀ ਪੰਡਿਤਾ ਧੁਨਿ ਕਹਾਂ ਸਮਾਈ ॥੧॥
kaasee footee panditaa Dhun kahaaN samaa-ee. ||1||
But when the bronze is broken, O Pandit, O religious scholar, where does the sound go then? ||1||
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Strike a metal bell and it rings — and that ringing seems to come from the metal itself. But here is a riddle worth sitting with.
When the bell finally breaks, where does the sound go? It did not live inside the metal at all. Think about where you come from.
You are no more trapped in your body than a bell's ring is trapped in the metal.
kaasee tay dhun oopjai — the sound (dhun) arising from the bronze/bell (also a play on Kaashi). kaasee footee... dhun kahaaN samaa-ee — when the bell breaks, where does the sound go? A riddle about oneness, posed respectfully to the pandit: the self is no more trapped in the body than sound is trapped in the bell.
A Question to Sit With
Where do you think a sound "goes" after it fades away?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI
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