Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Tossed between pleasure and pain, adrift in a sea of doubt, you drift on and on.
The jewel of a human life gets lost by forgetting the One — and when will such a chance come again?
A human life is a rare jewel. Don't lose it.
The verse pictures someone tossed between pleasure and pain. They are lost in a big sea of doubt, drifting through many lives. Then it names what is at stake. Ratan janam kho-i-o — the jewel of a human birth is lost. Prabh bisri-o — lost by forgetting the One.
Then comes a tender question. Ih a-osar kat pa-eehai — when will you get a chance like this again? Imagine being handed a ticket to the one concert you have always dreamed of. You would not leave it in a drawer. Kabir's urgency comes from love, not fear. He does not want the jewel wasted on drifting and doubt.
If this stretch of life is a rare, precious chance, what would you not want to waste it on?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI