Salok Vaaraan Te Vadheek (Mehl 3), Salok 80 — living with the living
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Those who do not serve the True Guru, the Great Being, and do not think on the Word —
do not call them human; they are like animals, like cattle that do not understand.
Inside them is no wisdom and no meditation; they have no love for the One.
The manmukhs — those who follow only their own wants — die in their wrongdoing; they die and are born again and again.
Those who join with the living are the ones who live; hold the One, the Life of the world, in your heart.
Nanak says: the Gurmukhs look beautiful in that True Court.
Those who keep the Life of the world in their hearts live; without it a person only exists.
The verse uses very strong words. People who never serve the Guru or think about the Word are called animals, not humans. It is a wake-up call. Without wisdom or love for the One, a person walks through life asleep. The manmukhs, those who follow only their own wants, go round and round, born and dying again and again.
Then comes the heart of it. jeevdi-aa no milai so jeevday — those who join the living are the ones who live. Think of sitting near a campfire. You get warm just by being close. Being near awake people helps you wake up too.
har jagjeevan ur Dhaar — keep the One, the Life of the world, in your heart. The gurmukhs, those who face the Guru, look beautiful in the True Court.
What makes you feel most awake and alive?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI