Hindi · Devanagari
जब मैं था तब हरि नहीं
जब मैं था तब हरि नहीं, अब हरि है मैं नाहिं। सब अँधियारा मिट गया, दीपक देखा माहिं॥
Kabir
Jab Main Thā Tab Hari Nahīn
Kabir speaks of ego as the one wall between the seeker and the beloved.
Why return to it: The poem’s turn is simple and devastating: when “I” disappears, the divine is all that remains.
Included here: Hindi in Devanagari, English transliteration, Urdu, and an English translation for easier access across scripts and readers.
English Transliteration
Jab Main Thā Tab Hari Nahīn
Jab main thā tab Hari nahīn, ab Hari hai main nāhiṅ. Sab añdhiyārā miṭ gayā, dīpak dekhā māhiṅ.
Urdu
جب میں تھا تب ہری نہیں
جب میں تھا تب ہری نہیں، اب ہری ہے میں ناہیں۔ سب اندھیارا مٹ گیا، دیپک دیکھا ماہیں۔
English Translation
Poetic English rendering
When I was full of myself, there was no space for Hari. Now Hari fills the room, and the little self has disappeared. The old darkness has lifted; the lamp within has been seen.
Reader messages
Leave a thought
If a line stayed with you, leave a small note for others who arrive here later. Messages appear publicly below after review.