Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Restless desire and anger melt the body away, the way borax melts gold.
Gold is rubbed on the touchstone and goes through the fire; when its true color shows, the eye of the One who tests it is pleased.
The world is like a herd of animals, and proud death is the butcher who comes for them.
The Creator made us, and each of us receives what our own actions bring.
The One who made the world knows what it is worth. What else can be said? There is nothing more to say.
An alchemical image: the kasvatee (touchstone) and the fire test the gold until its vannee sach-rhaa-o, true color, pleases the saraaf (assayer) — the One. The world as a herd and death as the butcher is a plain picture of how short life is, and of the ego (ahaN) that rides along with it. Karma: karnee kar paa-ee, what we do returns to us.
When has a hard time made something truer in you?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI