Gaathaa, Salok 4 — where the mind finally rests

ਮਾਯਾ ਚਿਤ ਭਰਮੇਣ ਇਸਟ ਮਿਤ੍ਰੇਖੁ ਬਾਂਧਵਹ ॥

maa-yaa chit bharmayn isat mitraykh baa^NDhvah.

The consciousness wanders lost in Maya, attached to friends and relatives.

ਲਬਧ੍ਯ੍ਯੰ ਸਾਧ ਸੰਗੇਣ ਨਾਨਕ ਸੁਖ ਅਸਥਾਨੰ ਗੋਪਾਲ ਭਜਣੰ ॥੪॥

labDha-ya^N saaDh sangayn naanak sukh asthaana^N gopaal bhajna^N. ||4||

Vibrating and meditating on the Lord of the Universe in the Saadh Sangat, O Nanak, the eternal place of rest is found. ||4||

Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa

In plain words

My mind wanders, lost in Maya — the pull of the world — clinging to friends and family.

Nanak says: in the Sangat, singing of the Lord of the World, I find the place of lasting peace.

The wandering mind finds its rest in the Sangat and the remembered One.

The deeper layer

The wandering mind finds its resting place when it remembers the One together with others.

Maa-yaa chit bharmayn: the mind drifts in Maya, the shine of the world that keeps pulling at us. Isat mitraykh baa(n)Dhvah: it clings to friends and family. Loving people is good; the trouble is a mind that holds on so tight it never settles.

Sukh asthaana(n): the place of peace. It is found saaDh sangayn, in the Sangat, through gopaal bhajna(n), singing of the Lord of the World.

A Question to Sit With

When does your mind feel most restless, and when does it feel at home?

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

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