Salok Sehskritee, Salok 62 — Through the Tangled Jungle
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Living in the world is like living in a wild jungle. Even one's relatives can be like dogs, jackals and donkeys.
In this hard place, the mind is drunk on the wine of clinging, and the five thieves no one can beat hide there.
People wander lost in love and clinging, fear and doubt. They are caught in the sharp, strong trap of ego.
The ocean of fire is terrifying and impossible to cross. The far shore is out of reach.
Remember the Lord of the World in the Sangat. Nanak says: by the One's grace, we are saved at the One's feet.
Life in the world can feel like a wild jungle, and the way out is the Sangat and the One's grace.
The verse is blunt. In this jungle, even the people close to us can act like wild animals. The mind is dizzy with moh, clinging, as if drunk on it. The five inner thieves hide there, like greed and anger. People wander lost in love and clinging, fear and doubt. They are caught in the tight trap of ego.
Then the verse describes a scary sea of fire, with a far shore that seems impossible to reach.
Think of being lost in a corn maze with tall walls on every side. Every path looks the same. But then someone who knows the way takes your hand. That is the turn at the end. In the Sangat, and by the One's kindness, we are carried out, safe at the One's feet.
When you feel lost or tangled up inside, who helps you find the path again?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI