Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Line up all the scholars, the champions, the kings with their crowns — and a humble lover of the One stands equal to any of them, or beyond.
Ravidas says, they live in the world the way a lily-leaf floats on a pond: right in the water, held by it, yet never sinking or getting soaked.
A humble lover of the One stands equal to anyone, even a king.
Pandit soor chhatarpat raajaa — scholars, warriors, and kings with royal canopies over their heads. Bhagat baraabar a-or na ko-ay — none of them is equal to the devotee. The world's ladder of rank gets flipped. A person the world looked down on can be richer inside than a king.
Then Ravidas gives a beautiful picture: the lotus leaf. Jaisay purain paat rahai jal sameep — like the lotus leaf that lives right on the water. Water beads up and rolls off, and the leaf stays dry. That is how the devotee lives in the world: in it, but not soaked by it. Kabir uses the same lotus picture in another song in this raag. It shows sahaj, an easy, natural balance.
What makes a person worthy of respect, in your view?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI