Salok Sehskritee, Salok 41 — Poison into Nectar

ਬਿਖਯਾ ਭਯੰਤਿ ਅੰਮ੍ਰਿਤੰ ਦ੍ਰੁਸਟਾਂ ਸਖਾ ਸ੍ਵਜਨਹ ॥

bikhyaa bha-yant amrita^N darustaa^N sakhaa savajni^H.

Poison is transformed into nectar, and enemies into friends and companions.

ਦੁਖੰ ਭਯੰਤਿ ਸੁਖ੍ਯ੍ਯੰ ਭੈ ਭੀਤੰ ਤ ਨਿਰਭਯਹ ॥

dukha^N bha-yant sukh-ya^N bhai bheeta^N ta nirabhyeh.

Pain is changed into pleasure, and the fearful become fearless.

ਥਾਨ ਬਿਹੂਨ ਬਿਸ੍ਰਾਮ ਨਾਮੰ ਨਾਨਕ ਕ੍ਰਿਪਾਲ ਹਰਿ ਹਰਿ ਗੁਰਹ ॥੩੭॥

thaan bihoon bisraam naama^N naanak kirpaal har har gurah. ||37||

Those who have no home or place find their place of rest in the Naam, O Nanak, when the Guru, the Lord, becomes Merciful. ||37||

Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa

In plain words

Poison turns into nectar, and enemies become friends and companions.

Pain turns into joy, and those who were afraid become fearless.

Nanak says: those with no home or place find their rest in the Naam, when the Guru, the One, becomes kind.

With the One's kindness, even poison turns to nectar.

The deeper layer

Grace turns things around: poison into nectar, enemies into friends, fear into courage.

Bikhyaa bhayant amrita: poison becomes nectar. Pain becomes joy. Each picture moves from something that hurts to something that heals.

The last picture is the most tender. Thaan bihoon, someone with no place at all, finds bisraam, rest, in the Naam. All of it happens when the Guru, the One, is kirpaal, kind. It is a gift, not something earned.

A Question to Sit With

Has something that once hurt you ever ended up teaching or helping you? What made the difference?

Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI

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