Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
They are so great and awesome; they cannot be controlled, they do not flee, and their army is mighty.
Says Nanak: the humble one under the protection of the company of the holy crushes those terrible demons.
The five are too strong to beat alone, but good company beats them.
The verse is honest about how tough they are. Muhkam fa-uj hathlee — theirs is a mighty, stubborn army. They cannot be controlled, and they do not run away. Willpower alone will not win this fight.
So who does crush them? Not the strongest person, but the humblest. SaaDhsangat kai jhalee — the one under the shelter of the company of the holy. Think of a tug-of-war. One kid alone gets pulled over. With the whole team on the rope, you win. The Sangat, the gathering of good people, wins the battle no single person can.
When has a battle you couldn't win alone been won with the right support?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI