The Value of Every Breath

I declare to the loud beat of drum:
With every breath that passes
In forgetting the Name of the Lord
You are losing the chance to conquer the three worlds –
Your chance to reach the spiritual heights.

What guarantee have you of life?
Your body may be destroyed in a single moment.
With every breath, therefore,
Remember the Name of the Lord –
Forget all other callings.…

Remember, only those breaths truly bear fruit
That you spend in remembrance of the Name.
All other breaths you spend scheming and planning –
All are totally useless.

Kabir, as long as there is life
Fearlessly continue repeating the Lord’s Name.
When the oil of life is exhausted
And the wick of the lamp is extinguished,
There will then be quite enough time
To sleep both day and night.
_{Kabir, The Great Mystic}