Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
If wandering around with no clothes and no comforts were enough to reach the truth, then every deer roaming free in the forest would already be wise. Living rough, all by itself, is not the same as being awake inside.
Going without clothes and comforts does not, all by itself, make anyone wise.
Kabir opens a shabad that gently tests the outer signs of being holy. Nagan firat means wandering around with no clothes. If that were the key, he says, the wild deer in the forest would all be free already. They live that way every day.
Kabir is not making fun of anyone who lives simply. He is saying the outward act, alone, is empty. Think of wearing a team jersey. It does not make you a good player. Real change happens inside. Guru Nanak teaches the same thing. What matters is the heart, not the costume.
Can you think of something people do to *look* good or serious that doesn't actually change who they are inside?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI