Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Imagine a bitter gourd that gets carried to every single sacred river and holy place and washed in each one.
Even after all those baths, it comes home just as bitter as before. Washing the outside never reaches the bitterness held deep inside.
This one says: a trip to every holy place can't change what's inside all by itself.
Kabir's picture is a famous one. Take a la-ukee, a bitter gourd, a vegetable with a sharp, bitter taste. Carry it to the athsath tirath, the sixty-eight holy bathing places of India. Wash it in every one. It comes home with its ka-uraapan, its bitterness, still there.
It's like putting a sour lemon in a lovely gift box. The box looks nice, but the lemon is still sour. Outward trips can't change an inner state on their own. Kabir aims this at anyone who leans on outside actions to do the heart's work, never at one faith's practices.
If a habit lives deep inside, why can't we fix it just by changing things on the surface?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI