Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Why walk around so puffed up, so sure that you are better than others?
Remember how tiny and helpless you once were, before you could do anything at all for yourself. That humble beginning is worth keeping in mind.
Kabir asks why we walk around puffed up with pride, and reminds us how small we started.
This is the rahaa-o, the "pause" line, the center of the shabad. Kaahay bhaee-aa firtou fooli-aa fooli-aa: why, brothers and sisters, do you strut around all fooli-aa, puffed up like a balloon?
Jab das maas uradh mukh rahtaa: remember the das maas, the ten months before you were born, when you were tiny and upside down, waiting. So din kaisay bhooli-aa: how could you forget those days?
Think of the kid who just won a race and starts showing off. Then someone shows a photo of them as a baby, who couldn't even hold up their own head. Everyone laughs, the kid too, and the showing off melts away.
Remembering how small we began helps us let go of pride and be thankful for all we have been given.
When you notice pride puffing you up, what is a gentle way to remember how much you have been given?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI