Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
The people, the places, the things we gather around us — one day we move on and do not return to them.
So why not fill our days with remembering the One? That is what keeps a life from slipping by empty — it gives every ordinary day a quiet purpose.
Kabir ends with a gentle question: why not remember the One?
The children, the money and the towns we know, vai sut vai bit vai pur paatan, we will not come back to see again. Then he asks, kahat kabeer raam kee na simrahu: says Kabir, why do you not remember the Lord? It is an invitation, not a scolding.
Janam akaarath jaa-ay means a life slipping away empty. Think of a whole afternoon spent scrolling on a phone. The hours go, and nothing is left from them. Kabir says the choice is open to us right now. Remembering the One gives each ordinary day a quiet purpose, so no day passes empty.
What would make you feel that a day was truly well spent?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI