Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
The mind, left to itself, lurches around like a drunken elephant.
So much of what it blurts out is false — the falsest of false.
With what face, then, can I come to pray? My good and my bad are both standing right there as witnesses.
The untamed mind stumbles around like a drunk elephant, so come to prayer honestly.
The drunk elephant is one of Gurbani's great pictures for the mind. Gurbani means the Guru's words. The elephant is huge and strong, but it staggers with no direction. Raag Gauree uses this picture too, when it talks about taming the mind.
Nanak knows how much of the mind's chatter is false. So he asks an honest question. How can I pray, when my good and my bad are both standing right there as witnesses? Think of a friend who has seen everything you did today. There is no point pretending in front of them. The One already sees both sides. The only answer is to drop all pretending.
What would your prayers (or your honest thoughts) sound like if you stopped trying to look good?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI