Bring your mind to remembrance, just like a fish without water. Saint Kabir says that separation from the soul is painful.

Kabir uses the powerful metaphor of a fish out of water to explain the necessity of remembrance (smaran). Just as a fish cannot survive without water, the mind cannot thrive without focusing on the divine. He suggests that separating the mind from this remembrance is akin to losing one's very breath or soul. This couplet emphasizes that continuous recollection of the divine is the essence of a spiritual life.