Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
It is easy to get pulled along by whatever tastes good or feels exciting in the moment, until we lose sight of what really matters.
But by good fortune, some find their way into good and loving company. They are carried across gently — like iron that floats when it is joined to wood.
Good company can carry us, the way wood carries iron across water.
Su-aad lubhat indree ras parayri-o — tempted by tastes, pushed around by the pleasures of the senses. It is easy to be swept along like that.
Then Kabir gives a lovely picture. Santan sangaanay — joining the company of good people. Kaasat loh uDhaari-o ray — like iron carried on wood. Drop an iron nail in a pond and it sinks. Tie it to a wooden raft, and it floats. Good company carries what could not carry itself.
Kabir keeps this hopeful and fair. He is not condemning pleasure. He is inviting us into the company that lifts us up.
Who is the "wood" in your life — the good company that helps carry you when you feel like you might sink?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI