Sikhism·Raag Basant·Shabad 35
Verse 1 of 5

Like a Baby and Its Mother

ਬਸੰਤੁ ਹਿੰਡੋਲ ਮਹਲਾ ੪ ॥
basant hindol mehlaa 4.
Basant Hindol, Fourth Mehl:
ਮੇਰਾ ਇਕੁ ਖਿਨੁ ਮਨੂਆ ਰਹਿ ਨ ਸਕੈ ਨਿਤ ਹਰਿ ਹਰਿ ਨਾਮ ਰਸਿ ਗੀਧੇ ॥
mayraa ik khin manoo-aa reh na sakai nit har har naam ras geeDhay.
My mind cannot survive, even for an instant, without the Lord. I drink in continually the sublime essence of the Name of the Lord, Har, Har.
ਜਿਉ ਬਾਰਿਕੁ ਰਸਕਿ ਪਰਿਓ ਥਨਿ ਮਾਤਾ ਥਨਿ ਕਾਢੇ ਬਿਲਲ ਬਿਲੀਧੇ ॥੧॥
ji-o baarik rasak pari-o than maataa than kaadhay bilal bileeDhay. ||1||
It is like a baby, who joyfully sucks at his mother's breast; when the breast is withdrawn, he weeps and cries. ||1||

Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa

In plain words

My mind cannot last even a moment without the One. Every day I drink in the sweet taste of the Naam of the One, Har, Har.

I am like a baby happily drinking milk at its mother's breast: when the milk is taken away, the baby weeps and cries.

Some things you love become part of how you breathe.
The deeper layer

A loving heart cannot go a moment without the One, the way a baby cannot go without its mother.

mayraa ik khin manoo-aa reh na sakai — my mind cannot last even an instant without the One. He keeps drinking in the sweetness of the Naam.

Then the picture. A tiny baby is happy and fed in its mother's arms. When she steps away, the baby cries for her. The baby is not following a rule. It simply needs her. That is how the Guru feels about the One. The love is simple and natural.

A Question to Sit With

What is something you would miss the moment it was gone, even for a minute?

Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI

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