Salok Sehskritee, Salok 7 — A Guest in the House of the Body
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
The body does not last, and its strength wears away.
It grows old, and still its love for the shiny things of the world grows bigger.
A person is only a guest in the house of the body, yet carries such big hopes.
The judge of what is right never lets up, and counts every breath.
This body, so hard to get, falls into the deep, dark well of clinging. Nanak says: its only support is the One, the heart of everything.
O Lord of the World, Lord of the World, Lord of the World, Keeper of all, please be kind to me.
Your body is a house you are visiting, and the One is its only true support.
The body grows older, and its strength does not last. Yet the wish for more keeps growing. The verse calls a person a guest, aathit-y, in the home of the body. A guest who makes big plans as if they will stay forever.
Picture a sleepover at a friend's house. You would not repaint their walls. You would enjoy the visit and be kind while you are there. Each breath is counted, the verse says, like a clock that keeps ticking. That is a reason to use our time well.
The body is a rare gift, and it is easy to lose it in a deep well of clinging, moh koop. So the salok turns to the One as the only support. It ends with a simple prayer: gobind gobind gobind gopaal kirpaa — Lord of the World, please be kind.
If you knew a place was borrowed, not yours to keep, how would you treat your time there?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI