ਕਬੀਰ ਹਰਨਾ ਦੂਬਲਾ ਇਹੁ ਹਰੀਆਰਾ ਤਾਲੁ ॥
ਲਾਖ ਅਹੇਰੀ ਏਕੁ ਜੀਉ ਕੇਤਾ ਬੰਚਉ ਕਾਲੁ ॥53॥Bhagat Kabir jee in this very meaningful Salok uses the metaphor of a weak deer roaming around a pond with lush green vegetation, but also being hunted by countless hunters. How long can such deer survive?
ਹਰਨਾ - deer
ਦੂਬਲਾ - weak
ਹਰੀਆਰਾ ਤਾਲੁ - pond lush with green vegetation
ਲਾਖ - hundred thousand but here this number denotes countless
ਅਹੇਰੀ - hunters
ਏਕੁ ਜੀਉ - one creature
ਕੇਤਾ ਕਾਲੁ - how long
Deer here denotes the jeev and pond with lush surroundings represents the enchanted world we live in. Hunters are the Bikaars (vices) like lust, anger, attachment etc. Just like a weak deer does not stand a chance to survive for too long in face of countless hunters, same way a Jeev (creature) who is not armed with Gurmat Naam, does not stand a chance of saving itself from sinning, in this world.
Some scholars have done the meaning of ਕੇਤਾ ਬੰਚਉ ਕਾਲੁ as how can the deer survive from Kaal (death) but this meaning would have been fine if there had been a sihaari in the end of ਕਾਲੁ instead of the aunkad. With the presence of Aunkad, the meaning that we have to arrive at is "how long can the Jeev survive".
Gurbani is Agam Agaadh Bodh.
Kulbir Singh
ਸਤਿਗੁਰਬਚਨਕਮਾਵਣੇਸਚਾਏਹੁਵੀਚਾਰੁ॥