Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Without the Name, a person is sick at heart, blinded by clinging.
All his actions bear no fruit; they lead only into painful tangles.
Without a center, busy actions only tangle us up.
Naam binaa — without the Name, a person is blinded by moh, clinging. The verse uses a strong old picture of a body badly sick. The point is not to shame anyone who is ill. The point is a life cut off from its center.
Sabh nihfal karam kee-ay dukh dhandhaa — all the actions bear no fruit and lead only into painful tangles. Think of a kite without its string. It flaps and spins but goes nowhere, and soon it is caught in a tree.
The Name is like that string. It keeps everything we do connected and moving somewhere good.
Have you noticed how activity without direction can leave you more tangled, not less?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI