Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Why be swallowed by grief when someone we love moves on? It is as if we ourselves would live forever and never make that same journey.
We can honor loss and still hold it gently. This passing is part of every life, not a strange cruelty aimed at us.
Kabir says that loss touches every life, including our own, so we can grieve without falling into despair.
This is a tender subject, and Kabir opens it gently. Avar moo-ay ki-aa sog kareejai — why mourn so hard when someone else dies? Ta-o keejai ja-o aapan jeejai — do that only if you yourself will live forever.
This is not an order to stop being sad. Grief is real, and it is allowed. Missing someone shows how much you loved them.
The deeper point is about how we see things. The pause line, which comes next, finishes the thought. Endings are part of every life, ours too. Think of the seasons. Leaves fall from every tree, not just one. That does not make the loss hurt less. But it means loss is not a strange cruelty aimed only at us, and it does not have to turn into hopelessness.
So we hold this gently. We honor love and loss, point toward hope, and never make anyone's sorrow seem small.
When you lose something or say goodbye to someone, what helps you hold the sadness gently?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI