Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
What good is reading? What good is study? What good is listening to all the old holy books?
What good is all that reading and listening, if the deep, natural peace never comes?
This one says reading and study matter most when they lead to real inner peace.
Ki-aa parhee-ai ki-aa gunee-ai: "what is the use of reading, what is the use of study?" Then comes ja-o sahj na mili-o so-ee, if sahj is not found. Sahj means natural, easy peace, a heart at home in itself.
Kabir is not saying study is bad. He is asking what it is for. Think of reading every cookbook in the library but never cooking a meal. The books are good. The meal is the point.
He names bayd puraanaa, the Vedas and Puranas, the holy books of his day. This is not aimed at any one book or faith. The point is the inner fruit that any learning is meant to bring.
Have you ever learned a lot about something without it actually changing how you feel inside?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI