St Kabeer's Couplets 15: Let Mind Be Worship Bound Poem by Aniruddha Pathak

Turning rosary beads lifelong bound—
A long playing record round and round;
What if mind's stuck up found—
Way far, least worship-wound,
Forget fingers if mind's there and sound.
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Given here under is the original couplet in Hindi script, and its transliteration in English Roman.

माला फेरत जुग भया, फिरा न मन का फेर,
कर का मनका डार दे, मन का मनका फेर।

Mālā pherata juga bhayā, phirā na mama kā phera;
Kara kā mana kā đāra de, mana kā mana kā phera.

There is no point in chanting mechanically with the help of rosary beads, when the mind is not in what you do. Mind is a monkey, this couplet says. Let it deeply involve in whatever worship you do, or else it is useless. The poet has used a pun when he says: mana kā manakā…

Topic: mind, god, prayer, worship