Verses
I am not meant to stay in this foreign country.
Verse 1
This world is a packet of paper; when a drop falls, it dissolves. This world is a hedge of thorns; entangled in it, one dies.
Verse 2
This world is scrub and brambles; when fire catches, they burn away. Kabir says: listen, dear seekers, the Satguru's Name is the place of refuge.
Verse 3
Background
'This world is a foreign country, I am not meant to stay.' The pad gives three images of how fragile the world is: a paper packet that dissolves with one drop of water, a thorn hedge where one gets entangled, and dry scrub that burns away when fire catches. It ends with the place of refuge it recommends: the Name given by the Satguru. The text is from the Kavita Kosh page for this pad, which names no manuscript, book or collection. Because nirgun pads live in singing, other singers' words may differ.
Did You Know?
Author
Attributed to Kabir (traditionally dated c. 1440–1518); the last lines carry his signature, 'Kahat Kabir'.
Three images of fragility
The world is called a paper packet that dissolves in a drop of water, a thorn hedge, and dry scrub that burns when fire catches.
The refuge
The pad ends by naming the Satguru's Name as the place to stay.
Source
Kavita Kosh gives no manuscript or collection. Singers' versions may differ.
Browse by Topic
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Connected Teachings
The same teaching, echoed across traditions