Attachment...

Fellow traveller—
relinquishing attachment is no easy task!

You renounce home, don ascetic garb,
and yet still wander from house to house.

Forsaking sons, you then adopt disciples,
only proving, you are still in attachment’s grip.

You give up lust, only to give anger free reign. Renouncing anger, greed becomes the monster.

If you do succeed in relinquishing greed,
your ego rears up its wily head,
seeking the acclaim of fame and honour.

Let renunciation be of the mind.

Give up cherished attachments,
they are mere illusions.

Merge your consciousness with the Word.

Kabir says, “Listen to me dear ones!
it is a rare person who accepts this wisdom.”



Kabir
Songs of the Divine, 26
Translated by J. Das