Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Some go deep into the forest and give up comfort, living on roots and wild fruit as they search.
Musicians, scholars, chanters, those who keep silence, every sincere seeker walks the same road of time that all of us do.
This one says: no amount of hard practice takes anyone off the road of time.
Kabir lists many kinds of seekers. Some go to ban khand, the deep forest. There they practice jog, yoga, and live on roots and wild fruit. Others are naadee baydee sabdee monee. That means musicians, scholars of the Vedas, people who chant one word, and people who keep silent.
Kabir does not mock any of them. These are sincere, hard ways to search. But he says all of them are jam kay patai likhaa-i-aa. Their names are in the same book of time as everyone else's.
Think of the fastest runner in school. Speed is wonderful, but it can't stop the clock. Effort alone doesn't lift anyone out of time. Something more is needed, and the next lines say what it is: love in the heart.
Why might even the most dedicated practice still leave something missing at the center?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI