Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Without the saints, you do not find the company of the One.
Without the Guru, your whole being stays stained, like cloth left dirty.
Without the One's Naam, you cannot become clean.
Through the Guru's Word, sing the praises of the True One.
Holy people, the Guru and the Naam bring you close to the One and wash you clean.
It is a chain of "without" lines. Bin saaDh means without the saints, the holy people. Bin gur means without the Guru. Bin har naam means without the Naam. Each one points the same way.
Mail means dirt or stain. It is not a mark of shame. It is just dust, like mud on your shoes after a football game. A good wash takes it off.
The wash here is the Guru's sabad, the Word. The last line gives the answer plainly and hopefully: gur sabad salaahay saach so-ay, through the Guru's Word, praise the True One. Sing, and the dust comes off.
What is something that helps clear your mind when it feels cloudy or stuck?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI