Salok Sehskritee, Salok 38 — Death's Messenger Stays Away
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Whoever keeps the lotus feet of the One in mind, and holds the Naam in the heart,
and sings the One's praise in the Sangat — Nanak says: that one will never even see death's messenger.
Someone who keeps the One close in love, holds the Naam in the heart and sings praise with others does not live in fear of death.
There are three simple things here. Keep the One's lotus feet in mind, which means staying close in love. Hold the Naam inside. And sing praise, keertan, in the Sangat.
Then comes the promise. Such a person will never see the jamdoot, the messenger of death. Old stories drew the fear of dying as a scary figure who comes to take you. The verse says that figure has nothing to do with you.
Think of walking home in the dark while holding a parent's hand. The street is the same. But the fear is gone, because you are not alone. The One is there the whole way through. This is not pretending nothing ends. It is a peace that is not afraid.
Is there a big fear you carry quietly? What helps it feel smaller?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI