Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Doing rituals does not bring *sehaj*, the deep, easy calm. Without that calm, worried doubt does not go away.
No set of rules can make the doubt go. People have tired themselves out doing these things.
Worry and doubt leave the heart stained. How can it be washed clean?
Wash your mind by holding on to the true Word. Keep your thoughts resting on the One.
Nanak says: by the Guru's kindness, deep calm grows, and the doubt goes away.
Karmee sahj na oopjai — rituals do not bring sahj. Vin sahjai sahsaa na jaa-ay — and without sahj, sahsaa does not leave.
Two words carry this verse. Sahj (often said sehaj) is a deep, easy calm. It is like still water. Sahsaa is a nervous, worried doubt. It is the buzz in a busy mind that asks, "Am I okay? Is it enough? Did I do it right?" It is less like a question in your head and more like a worried feeling in your tummy.
The verse follows a loop with only one way out. Rituals and strict rules, sanjam, cannot make that calm grow. Rahay karam kamaa-ay — people have worn themselves out trying. And the heart stays maleen, stained by worry. Outside washing cannot reach a stain that is inside.
Here is the way out. Man Dhovahu sabad laagahu — wash your mind by holding on to the Word. Then the last line: gur parsaadee sahj upjai — by the Guru's kindness, calm grows. That is how the worry leaves.
Think of a worried feeling before a test. Lucky socks will not fix it. Taking a slow breath and remembering you are loved can.
This matches the very first pauri, or verse, of Japji Sahib. There, Guru Nanak says washing the body again and again does not make the mind clean. The fix is lining up with the One, not putting on a show. It also pairs with the next verse, which shows a person clean outside and messy inside. First the problem, then the picture.
When you feel worried and jittery inside, what calms you — and what only pretends to?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI