Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Make silence your earrings and kindness your bag. Let deep thinking be your begging bowl.
Sew this body into your patched coat, and make the Naam your support.
Every piece of the yogi's gear becomes a quality of the heart.
Yogis in Kabir's time carried special things. They wore big earrings, carried a bag and a begging bowl, and wore a patched coat. Kabir gives each one a new meaning.
Mundraa mon means "make silence your earrings." Da-i-aa kar jholee means "make kindness your bag." Your begging bowl becomes beechaar, deep, careful thinking. And your khinthaa, the patched coat, is your own body. Naam kara-o aadhaar means "let the Name be your support."
Think of a superhero costume. The cape and mask look cool, but the power comes from courage and kindness. Kabir is saying the same thing. Letting go of the world is something you carry in your heart, not on your body.
What is an inner quality that matters more than any outfit or gear?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI