Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Says Kabir: to find real, lasting life, love the One with your whole devotion.
The One's Name is my only support; with every word I speak, I keep it close.
This one says real, lasting life grows from loving the One with your whole heart.
After all that longing, here is the reward: jeevan pad, the "state of true life." It is a life that is fully awake and lasting. Kahi kabeer jeevan pad kaaran har kee bhagat kareejai — Kabir says, to reach this true life, give yourself to bhagat. Bhagat means loving devotion.
Ayk aaDhaar naam naaraa-in — the Name is my one aaDhaar, my one support. Think of the single strong pole that holds up a whole tent. Rasnaa raam raveejai — with the tongue, keep saying the Name.
The highest life does not depend on rank or special ceremony. It comes through love and remembering, which are open to absolutely anyone. That great leveling runs all through Kabir's songs, though this shabad names no caste of its own.
What's one small way you could keep something you love "close" all through your day?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI