ਆਸਾ ਮਹਲਾ ੧ ਚਉਪਦੇ ॥
aasaa mehlaa 1 cha-upday.
Aasaa, First Mehl, Chau-Padas:
ਵਿਦਿਆ ਵੀਚਾਰੀ ਤਾਂ ਪਰਉਪਕਾਰੀ ॥
vidi-aa veechaaree taaN par-upkaaree.
Contemplate and reflect upon knowledge, and you will become a benefactor to others.
ਜਾਂ ਪੰਚ ਰਾਸੀ ਤਾਂ ਤੀਰਥ ਵਾਸੀ ॥੧॥
jaaN panch raasee taaN tirath vaasee. ||1||
When you conquer the five passions, then you shall come to dwell at the sacred shrine of pilgrimage. ||1||
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Think deeply, reflect on real wisdom, and you become someone who does good for others.
Conquer the five passions inside you, and you have arrived at the true place of pilgrimage.
The real pilgrimage isn't a place you travel to — it's conquering the five passions inside you.
Two inward translations at once. Real reflection makes you "a benefactor to others" — wisdom that does not overflow into service is not yet wisdom. And the true tirath (pilgrimage site) is not a riverbank but an inner victory: "when you conquer the five passions" (the Panch Vikaar — lust, anger, greed, attachment, ego). You arrive by mastering yourself, not by traveling.
A Question to Sit With
Which of the five — wanting, anger, greed, clinging, pride — pulls hardest on you?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI
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