[salok] Bhagat Kabeer Jee

[Akaali]

gauVI kbIr jI kI nwil rlwie iliKAw mhlw 5 ]

gourree kabeer jee kee naal ralaae likhiaa mehalaa 5 ||

Gauree, Kabeer Jee, With Writings Of The Fifth Mehla:

AYso Acrju dyiKE kbIr ]

aiso acharaj dhaekhiou kabeer ||

Kabeer has seen such wonders!

diD kY BolY ibrolY nIru ]1] rhwau ]

dhadhh kai bholai birolai neer ||1|| rehaao ||

Mistaking it for cream, the people are churning water. ||1||Pause||

hrI AMgUrI gdhw crY ]

haree a(n)gooree gadhehaa charai ||

The donkey grazes upon the green grass;

inq auiT hwsY hIgY mrY ]1]

nith out(h) haasai heegai marai ||1||

arising each day, he laughs and brays, and then dies. ||1||

mwqw BYsw AMmuhw jwie ]

maathaa bhaisaa a(n)muhaa jaae ||

The bull is intoxicated, and runs around wildly.

kuid kuid crY rswqil pwie ]2]

kudh kudh charai rasaathal paae ||2||

He romps and eats and then falls into hell. ||2||

khu kbIr prgtu BeI Kyf ]

kahu kabeer paragatt bhee khaedd ||

Says Kabeer, a strange sport has become manifest:

lyly kau cUGY inq Byf ]3]

laelae ko chooghai nith bhaedd ||3||

the sheep is sucking the milk of her lamb. ||3||

rwm rmq miq prgtI AweI ]

raam ramath math paragattee aaee ||

Chanting the Lord's Name, my intellect is enlightened.

khu kbIr guir soJI pweI ]4]1]14]

kahu kabeer gur sojhee paaee ||4||1||14||

Says Kabeer, the Guru has blessed me with this understanding. ||4||1||14||

Can someone please share their interpretations on the shabad?

[lowest of the low singhni]

vaheguru ji ka khalsa vaheguru ji ki fateh

ਗਉੜੀ ਕਬੀਰ ਜੀ ਕੀ ਨਾਲਿ ਰਲਾਇ ਲਿਖਿਆ ਮਹਲਾ ੫ ॥

Gauree, Kabeer Jee, With Writings Of The Fifth Mehl:

ਐਸੋ ਅਚਰਜੁ ਦੇਖਿਓ ਕਬੀਰ ॥ਦਧਿ ਕੈ ਭੋਲੈ ਬਿਰੋਲੈ ਨੀਰੁ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥

aiso achraj daykhi-o kabeer daDh kai bholai birolai neer

ਅਚਰਜੁ = wonders.

Bhagat Kabeer Ji is talking about the strange things which he sees happening. The shabad is one big metaphor. Instead of doing anything useful (taking advantage of Naam), we are wasting away our lives so much. This is just like trying to churn water and expecting it to wield the same results as if it were cream. Nothing useful is being produced.

ਹਰੀ ਅੰਗੂਰੀ ਗਦਹਾ ਚਰੈ ॥ ਨਿਤ ਉਠਿ ਹਾਸੈ ਹੀਗੈ ਮਰੈ ॥੧॥

haree angooree gadhaa charai nit uth haasai heegai marai

ਹਰੀ = green, ਅੰਗੂਰੀ = fruits, ਗਦਹਾ = donkey, ਚਰੈ = graze.

We are behaving like donkeys. We feel temporarily happy going about our daily business and stirring up emotional attachment and desire. Then the time for death arrives, and we don't even realise it's significance - many of us will continue to go around the life-cycle in our arrogance.

ਮਾਤਾ ਭੈਸਾ ਅੰਮੁਹਾ ਜਾਇ ॥ ਕੁਦਿ ਕੁਦਿ ਚਰੈ ਰਸਾਤਲਿ ਪਾਇ ॥੨॥

maataa bhaisaa ammuhaa jaa-ay kud kud charai rasaatal paa-ay

ਮਾਤਾ = intoxicated (matvala), ਭੈਸਾ = male buffalo, ਅੰਮੁਹਾ = uncontrolled, ਕੁਦਿ = runs about, ਚਰੈ = eat, ਰਸਾਤਲਿ = hell.

Humans are acting like a male buffalo who is wild and uncontrollable. We are not obedient, we don't listen to the Truth. We deny it in our anger and pride. We don't understand. We go through life enjoying various pleasures, and eventually end up in pain.

ਕਹੁ ਕਬੀਰ ਪਰਗਟੁ ਭਈ ਖੇਡ ॥ ਲੇਲੇ ਕਉ ਚੂਘੈ ਨਿਤ ਭੇਡ ॥੩॥

kaho kabeer pargat bha-ee khayd laylay ka-o chooghai nit bhayd.

ਪਰਗਟੁ = manifest/come into being, ਖੇਡ = refers to the weird game which is happening, ਲੇਲੇ = lamb, ਚੂਘੈ = sucks/bites, ਭੇਡ = sheep.

Kabeer Ji says that he's seeing strange things. I don't think the word milk actually appears here - so the metaphor might refer to the sheep eating her lamb. Anyway the point remains the same. The entire situation isn't productive - we're wasting life and the way people are living nowadays indicates that there is no point to it. It's possible that Bhagat Kabeer Ji is describing Maya as the sheep and us as her lamb - we're being eaten away by Maya day after day.

ਰਾਮ ਰਮਤ ਮਤਿ ਪਰਗਟੀ ਆਈ ॥ ਕਹੁ ਕਬੀਰ ਗੁਰਿ ਸੋਝੀ ਪਾਈ ॥੪॥੧॥੧੪॥

raam ramat mat pargatee aa-ee kaho kabeer gur sojhee paa-ee

ਰਮਤ = repeating, ਪਰਗਟੀ = illumined, ਸੋਝੀ = understanding.

Finally, Bhagat Ji thanks Maharaj for gracing him with some knowledge. The True Path can be realised by meditating on the One Akaal Purakh, and life can be used fruitfully by having the Guru's guidance.

vaheguru ji ka khalsa vaheguru ji ki fateh

[Akaali]

Vaheguruuu, Vaheguru, Vaheguru