Salok Vaaraan Te Vadheek (Mehl 3), Salok 64 — the heart-lotus opening
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
The manmukhs — those who follow only their own wants — do not remember the Naam; their lives go to waste, and their homes too.
The One who gives them food to eat and clothes to wear, the Treasure of all good — they do not keep that One in mind.
This mind has not been pierced by the Word; how can it come to live in its true home?
The manmukhs are like brides left unloved, worn out by coming and going, birth after birth.
For the Gurmukhs — those who turn to the Guru — the Naam is the joy of a loved bride; a jewel of good fortune is written on their foreheads.
They hold the Naam of the One, Har, Har, in their hearts; the One makes the lotus of the heart bloom.
I am forever devoted to those who serve their True Guru.
Nanak says: bright are the faces of those whose inner selves are lit with the Naam.
When the Naam reaches the heart, the heart opens like a flower.
The salok compares two lives. The manmukh follows only their own wants. The gurmukh turns toward the Guru. The verse uses strong words for the first life: Dhig jeevan Dhig vaas, a wasted life, a wasted home. It compares it to a bride left alone, caught in coming and going, born again and again. The One gives food and clothes, yet that life forgets the One.
ih man sabad na baydi-o — this mind has not been pierced by the Word. How can it find its true home? Think of a key that never goes into the lock. The door stays shut.
For the gurmukh, the Naam is a jewel of good fortune. har hirdai kamal pargaas — the One lights up the lotus of the heart. A lotus opens on the water in the morning sun. The heart opens the same way.
Guru Amar Das says he is always devoted to those who serve the Guru. Their faces glow with the light of the Naam inside.
What are three things you were given today that you did not have to earn?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI