Steady the Attention and Taste a Joy That Never Fades
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
On the ninth day, gently steady the nine openings of your body. They are the doors your attention keeps rushing out through.
Keep your surging wants in check, not by force, but by turning toward something better.
Let go of grasping and clingy attachment. Then something wonderful happens. You come alive in a lasting way, tasting the fruit that never runs out. It is a joy that doesn't spoil or fade.
Steady your attention, and you taste a joy that never fades.
This is day nine. Na-umee means "ninth." Na-umee navai du-aar ka-o saadh — train the nine gates of the body. These are the openings of the senses: eyes, ears, nose, mouth and the rest. Attention leaks out through them all day. Think of a house with nine doors banging open in the wind. You gently close them, so the house can grow warm inside.
Bahtee mansaa raakho — keep mansaa, your rushing wants, held in. Lobh moh sabh beesar jaahu — let lobh, greed, and moh, clingy attachment, fall away.
Then comes the promise. Jug jug jeevhu amar fal khaahu — live through the ages, eating the amar fal, the fruit that never dies. This means coming alive in a lasting way. It is a joy that never spoils. The picture is pure delight. It is not a warning about what happens otherwise.
What's a joy you've felt that didn't wear off the way a new toy or treat does?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI