Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Without the Guru, loving devotion does not well up inside.
Without the Guru, you are not given the company of the saints.
Without the Guru, people cry out as if blind, tangled in their busy affairs.
The mind of the one who turns to the Guru becomes clean, and the Word washes the dirt away.
Love for the One, the company of the saints and a clear mind all open through the Guru.
The verse says bin gur, without the Guru, three times. Without the Guru, loving devotion does not well up. Without the Guru, we are not given the company of the saints. Without the Guru, people cry out like the blind, caught in busywork. That picture is drawn with kindness. It is the ache of a life too busy to look up.
Then comes the bright turn. Man gurmukh nirmal mal sabad kho-ay — the heart turned to the Guru becomes nirmal, clean and clear, because the sabad, the Word, washes off the dirt.
Think of a muddy soccer jersey. The mud is not part of the shirt. One good wash, and the color shows again.
What is a small thing that helps clear away the busywork clutter in your mind?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI