How one wastes the night with sleep and the day with eating. How the priceless diamond cannot be exchanged for a cowrie shell.
Kabir delivers a powerful critique of wasted existence, questioning how one spends the night sleeping and the day simply consuming food. He uses the metaphor of the diamond and the cowrie shell to teach us that true, inherent worth—like a life or spiritual awakening—is irreplaceable. It cannot be traded for mere material possessions or fleeting comforts. Through this couplet, Kabir reminds us that time is our most precious asset, and we must live with conscious purpose.
Interpretation note: meanings and explanations may be AI-assisted and should not replace a primary text or scholarly edition. See the editorial policy.
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