Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Listen to these upside-down puzzles: fragrant saffron ground together with sweet sandalwood. The whole world seen clearly, but not with ordinary eyes. A child somehow giving birth to its own parent. A whole city built and thriving, but in no ordinary place.
These riddles are meant to tickle your mind and pop it awake, because the deepest truth does not fit the usual rules of how things work.
This is ulat-baasee, Kabir's 'upside-down speech.' bin nainhu jagat nihaari-aa (seeing the world without eyes) means inner sight; poot pitaa ik jaa-i-aa (the son births the father) points to the awakened awareness that 'gives birth' to a new understanding of its own source; bin Thaahar nagar (a city without a place) is reality beyond location. The wonder is the point, keep the riddle alive, do not flatten it.
Which of these upside-down riddles makes your mind tilt in the most interesting way?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI