Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
True devotion is to stay dead-to-self while still alive.
By grace you cross the terrible ocean.
Through the Guru's teaching your devotion is accepted, and then the Beloved Himself comes to live in your mind.
True devotion means the proud "me" goes quiet, and then the Beloved moves in.
Ayhaa bhagat jan jeevat marai — this is true devotion: to be "dead while still alive." That does not mean anything scary. It means the grabby, me-first self goes still while you keep on living fully. Devotion is not a performance added on top of the ego. It is the ego quieting down.
By the Guru's grace, a person crosses the bhavjal, the wild ocean of the world. Through the Guru's teaching the devotion is accepted. Then har jee-o aap vasai man aa-ay — the dear One comes to live in the mind. Think of clearing out a cluttered room before a guest comes. Once there is space, the guest can come in and stay.
What might move into you if you made a little more room by stepping out of your own way?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI