Salok Sehskritee, Salok 37 — A Life Without the Guru's Mantra
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Whoever lives without the Guru's mantra — the Guru's teaching held in the heart — has a life that is spoiled and wasted.
That foolish one lives no higher than a dog, a pig, a donkey, a crow or a snake.
A life with no teaching to steer it drifts the way an animal's life drifts: eating, sleeping and looking after only itself.
Gur mantar heensa-y means lacking the Guru's mantra. The mantra is the Guru's teaching, the remembrance of the One kept in the heart. Without it, a life is called bharsatnah, spoiled.
The five animals are strong pictures from everyday village life. A dog, a pig, a donkey, a crow and a snake each just go after their own needs. The picture is not about anyone's worth. It shows what a human life looks like when it never looks up: busy, hungry, and going nowhere. The answer these saloks give again and again is simple: take the Guru's teaching into the heart.
What helps you look up from everyday wanting and remember what matters?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI