ਪੂਰਬਿ ਲਿਖੇ ਡੇਹ ਸਿ ਆਏ ਮਾਇਆ ॥
poorab likhay dayh se aa-ay maa-i-aa.
The days of one's life are pre-ordained; they will come to their end, O mother.
ਚਲਣੁ ਅਜੁ ਕਿ ਕਲ੍ਹ੍ਹਿ ਧੁਰਹੁ ਫੁਰਮਾਇਆ ॥੨॥
chalan aj ke kaleh Dharahu furmaa-i-aa. ||2||
One must depart, today or tomorrow, according to the Lord's Primal Order. ||2||
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
The days of a life are already counted; they will come to their end, O mother.
One must depart, today or tomorrow, by the One's primal order.
Your days are counted — which is exactly why it matters how you spend them.
The mortality theme made tender by the address "O mother": "the days of one's life are pre-ordained." The departure is certain and by Hukam ("the Lord's Primal Order") — "today or tomorrow." Naming this plainly is not gloom; it is the clarity that lets a person spend their counted days on what matters (cf. Shabad 43, breaths counted).
A Question to Sit With
If you really felt your days were counted, what would you do differently today?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI
Use ← → to navigate