Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Just like a farmer, He plants His crop.
Then, ripe or unripe, He cuts it down when the time comes.
This one says that no one knows how long their life will be, and that is what makes each day precious.
Guru Arjan uses a farm picture. Jaisay kirsaan bovai kirsaanee means "just as a farmer sows his crop." Kaachee paakee means "unripe or ripe." When the time comes, the farmer cuts the field, whether every stalk is fully grown or not.
This is a serious picture, and a true one. Most people live a long life. But nobody gets a written promise of how long. Life is a gift, not something we are owed.
Think of a summer holiday. When you know it will not last forever, you do not waste it staring at a wall. You go outside and play. Knowing life is not promised long is not meant to scare us. It is meant to wake us up to how precious today is.
How might remembering that life is short change how you treat today?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI