On this windy, sunny morning, all I can think of is :
“Remember that life’s most treasured moments often come unannounced.”
-unknown
..and now, Kabir Day 17:
The couplet, transliterated:
Nau man dudh batori kai, tipaka diya binas |
Dudh fati kanji bhaya, hua dhiyu ka naas||
Translation:
Nine maunds (a measure) of pure milk, a drop of acid can spoil |
The milk splits and its essence is lost no matter how much you toil ||
My understanding:
A large quantity of good milk can be spoilt by just a single drop of acid. Allegorically, Kabir is telling us here that a single bad moment can destroy a lifelong record of good deeds and noble behavior.
Through this little couplet, Kabir is warning us to be ever-watchful for those tiny moments that can prove to be our undoing.