ਕਵਨੁ ਸੁ ਮੁਨਿ ਜੋ ਮਨੁ ਮਾਰੈ ॥
kavan so mun jo man maarai.
Who is that silent sage, who has killed his mind?
ਮਨ ਕਉ ਮਾਰਿ ਕਹਹੁ ਕਿਸੁ ਤਾਰੈ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
man ka-o maar kahhu kis taarai. ||1|| rahaa-o.
By killing the mind, tell me, who is saved? ||1||Pause||
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Who is the wise one who has truly stilled the mind by force? And even if the mind could be forced silent — tell me, what would that silence save, all on its own?
Forcing the mind silent, even if you could, would save nothing on its own.
The Rahao carries the riddle: kavan so mun jo man maarai — who is the sage who has "killed" the mind? And man ka-o maar... kis taarai — even if you could, what does mere force accomplish? Kabir challenges the assumption that suppression is the path. The real answer, hinted, is love and understanding, not violence against oneself.
A Question to Sit With
What quiets your mind better than fighting it — perhaps loving attention instead?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI
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