Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Here is the only "high birth" that means anything to me, says Kabir. Whoever truly reflects on the One and lives from that is the real noble soul. Not birth. Not family name.
The only true nobility is a heart turned toward the One, and that is open to everyone.
At the end, Kabir changes the meaning of the very word everyone has been arguing about. Jo barahm beechaarai, so baraahman — whoever thinks deeply on the One is the true Brahmin.
Kabir does not throw away the idea of being noble. He moves it. It no longer comes from the family you happened to be born into. It comes from what is in your heart.
Think of a sports award that used to go only to children from certain streets. Now it goes to whoever plays with the most heart. Suddenly anyone can win it.
This is the hopeful center of the shabad. Everyone is equal, and everyone can grow a true nobility.
If real nobility comes from how you think and love, not from your family name, who could reach it?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI