Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Think of a monkey clutching a fistful of grain, refusing to open its hand even to get free.
That is what greed does: whatever we do just to grab more and more can quietly tighten around us until we're stuck.
Greed is like a monkey's fist. It traps us because we will not let go.
Ji-o kap kay kar musat chanan kee — like a monkey with a fistful of grain. Lubadh na ti-aag da-i-o — out of greed, it will not let go. Picture grain inside a jar with a narrow neck. The monkey grabs a handful, and now its fist is too big to pull out. It only has to open its hand to be free.
Kabir comes back to this picture and draws the lesson straight out. Jo jo karam kee-ay laalach si-o tay fir gareh pari-o — whatever we do out of laalach, greed, becomes a noose around our own neck. It is not a punishment sent from outside. It is a knot we tie ourselves by grasping. The picture is homely and clear on purpose. A ten-year-old can see exactly how the monkey stays stuck, and exactly how a person does too.
What would it feel like to just open your hand and let something go?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI