Salok Sehskritee, Salok 66 — O Tongue, Say the One's Names
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
O tongue, you love sweet tastes.
You are dead to Truth and caught up in big arguments. Instead, say these holy words:
Gobind, Daamodar, Maadhav.
The tongue that loves treats and arguments can be given the One's names to say instead.
Hay jihbay hay rasgay — O tongue, you love tasty things. The verse says the tongue loves sweets and loves to argue. And while doing that, it has gone asleep to the truth.
So the verse gives it something new to say: Gobind, Daamodar, Maadhav. These are old, loving names for the One, from Hindu tradition. They are used here with respect, as names for the divine.
Think of a kid who talks all day about snacks and complaints. Then one day they start saying thank you, and kind words, and names they love. Their whole day tastes different. The teaching is gentle: give your words something sweeter to carry.
What do you tend to talk about or complain about a lot? What is something better you could give your words to?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI