Maya and Chhaya (illusion/shadow) are the same, which few people realize. A person who runs is entangled in both chasing what is behind and running toward what is in front.

Kabir uses the metaphor of Maya and Chhaya to teach us that illusion and reality are deeply intertwined. He observes that the average person remains unaware of this profound connection. The couplet highlights the human condition: we spend our lives running after what we desire, yet simultaneously, we are running from something else. This paradox suggests that the act of chasing or fleeing itself is merely another form of illusion.