ਗਉੜੀ ਕਬੀਰ ਜੀ ॥
ga-orhee kabeer jee.
Gauree, Kabir Jee:
ਜਿਹ ਸਿਰਿ ਰਚਿ ਰਚਿ ਬਾਧਤ ਪਾਗ ॥
jih sir rach rach baaDhat paag.
That head which was once embellished with the finest turban
ਸੋ ਸਿਰੁ ਚੁੰਚ ਸਵਾਰਹਿ ਕਾਗ ॥੧॥
so sir chunch savaareh kaag. ||1||
- upon that head, the crow now cleans his beak. ||1||
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
The very head that was once wrapped in the finest, proudest turban —
one day that same head is just part of the earth again.
The things we're proudest of on the outside don't stay — so hold something truer.
Kabir uses a stark, honest image to shake loose our pride in appearances. The head we decorate so carefully doesn't stay special forever. He isn't being grim for its own sake — he's clearing away vanity so something truer can matter to us. The Rahao says what.
A Question to Sit With
What do people fuss over on the outside that doesn't really last?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI
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