ਕਉਨੁ ਕੋ ਪੂਤੁ ਪਿਤਾ ਕੋ ਕਾ ਕੋ ॥
ka-un ko poot pitaa ko kaa ko.
Whose son is he? Whose father is he?
ਕਉਨੁ ਮਰੈ ਕੋ ਦੇਇ ਸੰਤਾਪੋ ॥੧॥
ka-un marai ko day-ay santaapo. ||1||
Who dies? Who inflicts pain? ||1||
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Whose son is he, really? Whose father?
Who is it that dies — and who is it that causes anyone pain?
Underneath all our roles and labels runs one single Life.
Kabir opens with his famous riddle-questions. He isn't denying that we have families or that loss hurts. He's loosening our tight grip on the labels — son, father, the one who dies — to point past them to the single Life underneath all the roles. It's a wonder-question, meant to make you look deeper.
A Question to Sit With
Who are you, really, underneath all the different roles you play in a day?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI
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