Gaathaa, Salok 3 — what you can carry with you

ਜਾਣੋ ਸਤਿ ਹੋਵੰਤੋ ਮਰਣੋ ਦ੍ਰਿਸਟੇਣ ਮਿਥਿਆ ॥

jaano sat hovanto marno daristayn mithi-aa.

Know for sure that death will come; whatever is seen is false.

ਕੀਰਤਿ ਸਾਥਿ ਚਲੰਥੋ ਭਣੰਤਿ ਨਾਨਕ ਸਾਧ ਸੰਗੇਣ ॥੩॥

keerat saath chalantho bhanant naanak saaDh sangayn. ||3||

So chant the Kirtan of the Lord's Praises in the Saadh Sangat, the Company of the Holy; this alone shall go along with you in the end. ||3||

Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa

In plain words

Know this for sure: death will come, and everything you see is passing, like a dream.

Nanak says: singing the praises of the One in the Sangat — that alone goes along with you.

Pour yourself into what travels with you, not into what washes off.

The deeper layer

Everything we can see will pass, so the praise of the One sung together is what goes with us.

Jaano sat hovanto marno: know that death is certain. Daristayn mithi-aa: what the eyes see does not last. These words are plain, but they are not meant to frighten. They clear the way for what comes next.

Keerat saath chalantho: praise is the one thing that travels along. Saadh sangayn: in the Sangat — people gathered together to remember the One. Toys, trophies and even the body stay behind. Love for the One, sung with others, goes with you.

A Question to Sit With

If you could pack only what lasts, what would you take?

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

← Verse 2 of 450 Gaathaa, Salok 2 — no power saves you without the Holy One

Verse 4 of 450 →Gaathaa, Salok 4 — where the mind finally rests

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