Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Even a mighty king who built whole fortresses of gold had to leave every last brick behind.
Nothing we pile up can be carried past the door at the end.
Jin garh kot kee-ay kanchan kay chhod ga-i-aa so raavan means Raawan built forts of gold, and still he left them behind. Raawan is the mighty king in the Ramayana, an old Indian epic story. His whole city was said to shine with gold.
Even so, when his life ended, he took none of it. Think of a huge sandcastle at the beach. The tide comes in, and you walk home with empty hands.
Kabir is not using Raawan to put anyone down. He is showing that even the greatest riches cannot be carried onward.
What is something valuable that you could never lose, because it is not a thing?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI