Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Now tell me, Beloved — what will become of me? People said I had to die in the holy city to be saved, but I left it behind. Let them call that foolish; I am asking You, not them.
Kabir asks whether his fate depends on a place, or on the One.
This is the Rahao, the "pause" line at the center of the shabad. Ab kaho raam kavan gat moree — now tell me, Lord, what will become of me? Tajee lay banaaras mat bha-ee thoree — I left Banaras; I had little sense.
Some background helps. Banaras, also called Kaashi, is an old holy city. Many people believed that dying there set the soul free for good. The town of Magahar was believed to be cursed, and dying there was said to ruin you. The later verses say Kabir came to live in Magahar as his time to die drew near. Tradition reads this as a deliberate choice. He wanted to show that a place cannot save a soul or doom it.
So the pause line asks the question the whole shabad will answer. Does my fate rest on a map, or on the One? Think of a "lucky" seat at a game. Sitting in it does not make your team win.
Have you ever been told a place or ritual could make you "good enough" — and did that feel true?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI