Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
O my mind — no one here is finally yours. Reflect on the Word and see this clearly.
So run to the Sanctuary of the One — there you will find the door of liberation.
The people we love walk with us for a while, so hold on most of all to the One who never leaves.
This is a strong medicine, and Guru Amar Das gives it gently to his own mind. Ay man tayraa ko nahee — O my mind, no one belongs to you. That does not mean love is not real. Love is real. What is not real is owning people. Everyone we love walks only part of the road with us.
Notice the words kar vaykh — reflect, and see. The Guru does not ask us just to believe this. We can see it for ourselves in life, whenever people move away or pass on and we have to say goodbye.
Think of friends on a school trip. Each gets off the bus at a different stop. So the answer is not sadness. It is a new direction. Har sarnaa-ee bhaj pa-o — run to the shelter of the One. There you find mokh du-aar, the door to freedom. The One is the Companion whose road never splits away from yours.
If you accepted that no one can walk the whole road with you, how would you treat the One who can?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI