Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
There is only One. And the One is found by the True Guru's grace — a gift that is always here, waiting for an open heart.
When praise no longer puffs me up and blame no longer knocks me down, I start to become free.
When I let go of the pride that whispers “I am better,” something clears inside me.
And when a lump of iron and a bar of gold weigh the same in my heart — neither one able to shake me — then I am living as an image of the One itself.
A person who stays steady through praise and blame looks like the One.
Ustat nindaa do-oo bibarjit means setting aside both praise and slander. Praise can puff us up. Blame can knock us down. Kabir asks us to let neither one push us around. That steadiness is sahaj, a calm that comes naturally. He also says tajahu maan abhimaanaa: let go of pride and showing off.
Then comes a striking picture. Lohaa kanchan sam kar jaaneh: they see iron and gold as the same. Think of a kid who does not care if a ball is cheap or fancy, because playing with friends is what matters. Such a person is free from the pull of money.
Kabir says something amazing about them: tay moorat bhagvaanaa, they are the very image of God. Staying steady is not being cold. It is being like the One.
If someone is being unkind to you or hurting you, that is never something you have to accept. Telling a grown-up you trust is always the right thing to do.
How do you feel when someone praises you, and when someone criticizes you — can you stay steady through both?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI