Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Back when I leaned on my own cleverness, where was real strength? Now that a deeper wisdom has come, my old striving simply can't take over anymore.
Kabir says: the Beloved gently took away my small cleverness — and in its place I found something whole and complete.
Kabir says that when grace loosens his grip on his own cleverness, he finds himself whole.
Kabir plays with two kinds of knowing. Here buDh means the calculating, ego-driven cleverness that thinks it can figure out and control everything. Bal means real strength. Kabir says that cleverness and real strength cannot both be in charge at once.
BuDh har la-ee — the One took that small cleverness away. And what was left? SiDh, being whole and complete.
This is the empty-handed way. Kabir does not say, "I achieved perfection." He says, in effect, "my grabbing was gently loosened, and grace filled the space." Think of clutching a handful of sand. The tighter you squeeze, the more slips away. Open your hand, and it rests there easily. Losing the small self turns out to be the gain.
Have you noticed how some things go better when you stop trying so hard to control them?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI