Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
The Beloved has given you the very breath in your body and the food that keeps you alive. So why let that loving Giver slip from your mind?
This human life is a priceless jewel. Do not trade something so precious away for things that hardly matter.
This life is a priceless gift, from a Giver worth remembering.
This is the Rahao, the "pause" line at the center of the shabad. Kabir starts from thankfulness. Saas garaas ko daato thaakur — the Master gives you breath, saas, and food, garaas. So ki-o manhu bisaari-o ray — so why have you forgotten that One? It is a gentle question.
Heeraa laal amol janam hai — this life is a priceless diamond and ruby. Ka-udee badlai haari-o ray — yet we lose it in trade for a ka-udee, a little shell worth almost nothing. Picture swapping a real diamond for a plastic toy from a vending machine.
It is a loving reminder. Treasure the gift of being alive, and the One who gives it.
What are the everyday gifts — like breath, food, a new morning — that are easy to forget to be grateful for?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI