Today’s thought –
“Each morning the alarm goes off, and a new day begins.”
– Carl D. Windsor
Kabir, day 20:
The couplet, transliterated:
Ghar rakhwara bahera chidiya khai khet |
Adha pardha ubarai, chet sake to chet ||
Translation:
The house guard is hard of hearing, so birds are damaging the crop |
Prevent further loss by waking up and scaring the birds away ||
My understanding:
Here, once again, we are visited Kabir, the mystic. His intended audience being the average human of the time, his explanations use examples the average citizen of the time could easily relate to, and yet have powerful messages for those willing to pay attention.
Here, he is talking of the havoc we invite on our life (our house, of which we are the sole guard) when we do not pay attention to the external factors that influence our daily existence. The deaf guard is us when we get so involved in mundane work or distracted by desire that we ignore all the warning signals around us. The birds are desire, jealousy, greed, and all other negative influences we harbor in the chase of material pleasure.
Kabir is not asking us to abstain – nay – he, in other teaching, has clearly indicated that love and experience, not distance, is what helps us achieve our purpose in life. However, he is asking us to live life in moderation, and to stay alert to the warnings of excess. Just as the greatest medicine can become poison when consumed in excess, he is warning us to wake up before distractions lull us into a false sense of well-being when all is not truly well.
So, in the immortal words of other saints, ‘Awake, arise, and be well!’