Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Says Kabir: the proud, separate self you work so hard to build up —
it is a shaky little foundation, here one moment and gone the next. Better to build your house on the One that lasts.
The closing line names ahankaaree — the ego, the "I did it all myself" foundation. In our lens ego is a disease to heal, not a crime: Kabir isn't condemning anyone, he's pointing at how flimsy the proud separate self really is, "gone in an instant." The whole shabad has walked us from clay to breath to empty pitcher precisely so this lands softly: don't build your life on the one thing guaranteed to crumble. Build on the One.
What's the difference between being proud of something and letting pride run the show?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI