First, today’s thoughts :

Words Of Wisdom 

“The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen, nor touched…but are felt in the heart.”
– Helen Keller

“Once you make a decision, the universe conspires to make it happen.”
– Ralph Waldo Emerson

“The most important thing to do in solving a problem is to begin.”
– Frank Tyge

And now Kabir Day 15:

First, the couplet, transliterated:

Bhes dekh jani bhuliye, boojh lijiye gyan|

Bin kasauti hoth nahi, kanchan ki pehchan ||

Translation:

Judge not a man by the clothes, judge him by his knowledge |

Without the testing stone, even gold’s purity cannot be determined ||

My understanding:

The saying “clothes do not the man make” is old and true. Wearing a suit does not make a man a successful businessman, nor does wearing a saffron robe make a man a saint. The true MAN is the one with true vision, an understanding of reality and knowledge of truth.

Just as everything that shines is not gold, but one needs the testing stone to differentiate between the real deal and ‘fool’s gold’, so also while the outer appearance of a man may lead you to believe what might not be, a test of the person’s knowledge will bring reality to the forefront.