ਇਸ ਮਾਟੀ ਮਹਿ ਪਵਨੁ ਸਮਾਇਆ ॥
is maatee meh pavan samaa-i-aa.
Into this clay, the breath is infused.
ਝੂਠਾ ਪਰਪੰਚੁ ਜੋਰਿ ਚਲਾਇਆ ॥੨॥
jhoothaa parpanch jor chalaa-i-aa. ||2||
By Your Power, You have set this false contrivance in motion. ||2||
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Into this shape of clay, breath is gently poured — and suddenly it moves and lives.
The whole passing show is set in motion by You. We didn't wind ourselves up; the life in us comes from beyond us.
The breath that makes us move is borrowed — we didn't give it to ourselves.
The breath (pavan) entering the clay is the spark of life — and Kabir credits it entirely to the One. Jhoothaa parpanch is the "false contrivance," the passing show — false not in the sense of a lie but of impermanent. The wonder here is that our aliveness is borrowed: we didn't give ourselves breath. Remembering that keeps ego small and gratitude large.
A Question to Sit With
Your very next breath is a gift. What else in your life did you not make happen yourself?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI
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