O friend! This BODY is His lyre; He tightens its strings, and draws from it the melody of BRAHMA. Kabîr says: "None but Brahma can evoke its melodies."
Where to next: BRAHMA or the BODY?
[Source: RT 39 (partial); 1.59. sâdho, yah tan thâth tanvure ka]
lyre. There are various stringed instruments used in Indian classical music such as the sitar and the veena.
Brahma = Brahman: The "ultimate reality" or "creative principle" (ब्रह्मन्), usually transliterated into English as Brahman, while Brahma (ब्रह्मा) is the creator god. (Tagore uses the English spelling Brahma for both.)
Here is the full poem:
XXXIX
I. 59. sâdho, yah tan thâth tanvure ka
O friend! this body is His lyre; He tightens its strings, and
draws from it the melody of Brahma.
If the strings snap and the keys slacken, then to dust must this
instrument of dust return:
Kabîr says: "None but Brahma can evoke its melodies."
