Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
The kings who gathered and buried great heaps of gold move on, and the gold stays behind.
The scholars who recited every holy verse move on. So do those who spent their days gazing at their own reflection. Wealth, learning, and beauty each had its turn, and each was left behind.
Wealth, learning and good looks each have their turn, and each is left behind.
Darab sanch sanch raajay moo-ay — kings pile up riches and pass on. Gad lay kanchan bhaaree — they even bury heaps of gold, kanchan, and the gold stays behind. Bayd parhay parh pandit moo-ay — the pandits, learned scholars who recite the Vedas, India's oldest holy hymns, pass on too. Roop daykh daykh — and so do those who spend their days gazing at their own beauty.
Kabir names the scholar respectfully, in the same breath as kings and the vain. No one group is singled out. What he warns about is clinging itself: holding on too tight to anything that cannot last.
Think of a sandcastle. You can build it tall and beautiful, but the tide comes in for every castle on the beach. Enjoy the building. Just don't give it your whole heart.
Which of these three do you find easiest to be dazzled by, and why?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI