Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
People harm what is living and bow down to what has no life. That path only leads to sorrow in the end.
They have not known the worth of the One's Name; without it, it is easy to feel lost at sea.
Real reverence means caring for living things.
Sarjee-o kaateh nirjee-o poojeh — you cut down the living and worship the lifeless. Kabir sets these side by side so the mismatch is plain. Harming what is alive in order to honor what has no life gets things backward. He warns that this path ends in heavy sorrow.
Raam naam kee gat nahee jaanee — you have not known the worth of the Name. Without it, he says, people go under in the world, like being lost on a wide, rough sea.
The heart of it is kind and clear. Honor life, and value the Name. Turn toward the living presence of the One, and toward kindness for everything that lives.
How can you show respect for the living things around you — people, animals, growing things — every day?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI