Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
I spent a whole life in the city everyone called holy.
And when my time came, I rose and walked to the town everyone called cursed.
Kabir chose to leave the "holy" city and spend his last days in the "cursed" town.
Sagal janam siv puree gavaa-i-aa — I used up my whole life in siv puree, the city of Shiva. That city is Kaashi, also called Banaras. Martee baar maghar uth aa-i-aa — at the time of death, I got up and came to Magahar. Magahar was the town people believed was doomed.
Kabir turns his own choice into a quiet stand against superstition. It is like calmly walking under a ladder to show there is nothing to fear. He is respectful of the traditions he grew up around. He just gently refuses the fear built into them.
What is something people are afraid of that might not deserve the fear?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI