ਤੂੰ ਬ੍ਰਹਮਨੁ ਮੈ ਕਾਸੀਕ ਜੁਲਹਾ ਮੁਹਿ ਤੋਹਿ ਬਰਾਬਰੀ ਕੈਸੇ ਕੈ ਬਨਹਿ ॥
tooN barahman mai kaaseek julhaa muhi tohi baraabaree kaisay kai baneh.
You are a Brahmin, and I am only a weaver from Benares. How can I compare to you?
ਹਮਰੇ ਰਾਮ ਨਾਮ ਕਹਿ ਉਬਰੇ ਬੇਦ ਭਰੋਸੇ ਪਾਂਡੇ ਡੂਬਿ ਮਰਹਿ ॥੩॥੫॥
hamray raam naam kahi ubray bayd bharosay paaNday doob mareh. ||3||5||
Chanting the Lord's Name, I have been saved; relying on the Vedas, O Brahmin, you shall drown and die. ||3||5||
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
You are a Brahmin, and I am only a weaver from Benares. How could I compare with you?
Saying the Naam of the One, I have been saved. Trusting only in the Vedas, O Brahmin, you will drown and die.
Your worth is never set by the family you were born into — it is set by your heart.
A low-caste weaver from Benares, named plainly, reaches what the high-ranked scholar can miss. Worth is set by the heart, never by birth.
The 'drowning' of the book-trusting scholar is the warning that learning alone cannot carry anyone across.
A Question to Sit With
Have you ever seen someone judged by their background instead of who they are?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI
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