Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
The one who dies to himself in the Word finds a lasting joy; he is joined to the true Guru, to the One.
He dies no more, and no longer comes and goes;
through the perfect Guru he merges into the True One.
Guru Amar Das is saying: let the selfish "me" die once, and you are done with dying.
Sabad marai tis sadaa anand — whoever dies in the Word finds joy that lasts. The Shabad, the Word, is the Guru's teaching. "Dying in the Word" means letting the proud, selfish "me" fade away while you are still alive. Sikhs call this jeevat marnaa, dying while living.
The reward is everything. Such a person meets the True Guru and the One. Naa fir marai na aavai jaa-ay — they do not die again, and they no longer come and go, birth after birth. Through the Perfect Guru, they merge into the True One.
Think of an ice cube melting into the ocean. The little shape is gone, but nothing is lost. The ego's one death ends the soul's endless dyings.
What might end, for good, once you stop clinging to being the center of everything?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI