It is better to die while alive, if one knows the art of dying. To die before death arrives, if one is a destroyer of Kali.

Kabir suggests that true death is preferable, provided one understands the nature of mortality. Dying before death arrives signifies a spiritual detachment from the transient world. This couplet emphasizes that true 'death' is not physical, but the shedding of worldly attachments and ego. It speaks to a profound state of being, where one transcends the cycles of life and illusion.