Salok Vaaraan Te Vadheek (Mehl 3), Salok 46 — A Life That Finds Its Purpose
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Those who do not serve the True Guru, and do not keep the Word held close in their hearts —
their lives go to waste. Why did they even come into the world?
When, through the Guru's teaching, loving awe of the One fills the mind, then the mind is drawn in love to the sweet taste of the One.
Nanak says: by what was written from the very beginning, the Naam is found, and that person is carried across.
Without the Guru's Word a life drifts with no purpose; with loving awe it comes to taste the sweetness of the One.
Satguroo na sayvi-o sabad na rakhi-o ur Dhaar: not serving the Guru, not keeping the Word in the heart. Dhig tinaa kaa jeevi-aa: the words are sharp, and they mean such a life is wasted. Kit aa-ay sansaar: why come into the world at all? The question points to what a life is for.
The turn comes with gurmatee bha-o, the loving awe that grows through the Guru's teaching. Then the mind is drawn by har ras, the sweet taste of the One. The Naam comes as something written from the start, and that person is carried across, paar utaar.
What do you think your life is for, and what helps you feel like you are living toward it?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI