Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Cling to the feeling that you are separate, and you only earn pain; without the Word, a life drains away for nothing.
Serve the true Guru and understanding comes —
and then the old pull of separateness loosens its hold.
Living as if you are all alone, cut off from the One, brings pain.
Doojai bhaa-ay means "the love of the second." It is the feeling that you are a separate self, apart from the One. It is also called dubidha, doubleness. Guru Amar Das says this feeling is where pain begins. A life without the Shabad, the Guru's Word, drains away for nothing.
The cure is understanding, and it comes from serving the Guru. Think of a phone that has lost its WiFi signal. It feels cut off, even though the network is all around it. Once it reconnects, it works the way it should. Understanding, not just trying harder, is what loosens the pull of feeling separate.
When have you felt most separate and alone — and what helped you feel connected again?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI