Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Such is Maya, the illusion the One Lord has created — and she is devouring the whole world; but the Guru has saved me, my friends.
Dealing out her poisons, she has overcome the world; she has bewitched even the great gods.
Only those, turned toward the Guru and tuned to the Name, are blessed.
Maya, the pull of illusion, catches almost everyone, and only the Name keeps a person safe.
This is the Rahao, the "pause" line at the center of the shabad. It says the One made Maya too. Yet un sabh jag khaa-i-aa — she is eating up the whole world. The one singing is safe only because the Guru protected them.
The verse goes further. Even Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, the greatest powers people knew, are charmed by her. So no power, human or divine, gets free by its own strength.
Who is safe, then? Gurmukh naam lagay say sohi-aa — those turned toward the Guru and tuned to the Name are blessed. A Gurmukh is someone whose life faces the Guru. Think of a strong swimmer and a small child caught in the same big current. Strength is not what keeps either of them afloat. The life jacket is. The Name, not might, is what keeps you safe.
What is it that nearly everyone falls for, that only a different kind of strength resists?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI