Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Without holding the One in your heart, everything you gathered slips away in the end. Look and see it clearly.
It is remembering the Name, keeping the One alive inside you, that carries a person home. That is the whole teaching, plainly spoken.
Only remembering the One carries us home.
Raam naam bin sabhai bigootay — without the Name, everyone comes undone. This ties the whole list together. The poets, seekers, kings and scholars each had something wonderful. What they needed most was the living remembrance of the One. Daykhhu nirakh sareeraa — look closely and see it, O body.
Har kay naam bin kin gat paa-ee — without the Name, who has ever found freedom? Kahi updays kabeeraa — Kabir speaks this teaching, and signs the shabad with his name.
The Name, naam, is not a magic word. It means keeping the One present in your heart through the day. Think of a lighthouse on a stormy night. A ship may have the finest crew and cargo, but it finds its way home by keeping the light in view.
Of everything you are collecting in life, what do you think will still matter to you at the very end?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI