Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
O my mind, do not wander off. Keep the One in your thoughts.
Without the Guru, no one is set free anywhere in the three worlds. Turned toward the Guru, you receive the Naam of the One.
Keep the One in your thoughts, and through the Guru the Naam comes to you.
This is the rahaa-o, the "pause" line, the center of the shabad. Its advice is simple and steady. Mat bhooleh ray man chayt haree — do not forget, my mind; keep the One in your thoughts.
Think of how you keep someone you love in mind when they are not in the room. You do not have to try hard. They are just there.
The verse says freedom, mukat, comes through the Guru. The gurmukh, the one turned toward the Guru, receives the Naam. Tarai lo-ee means anywhere in all the worlds. So this freedom is a nearness you carry in your mind wherever you go.
How do you keep someone you love close in your thoughts when they are far away?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI