Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Your Sikhs serve at the Guru's feet.
Serving the Guru, they are carried across. They have let go of "mine" and "yours."
People who speak badly of others, and people full of greed, have hard hearts.
Those who do not love to serve the Guru are the biggest thieves of all.
Letting go of "mine versus yours" is what carries you across.
Two ways of living sit side by side here. The first is gur sayv taray taj mayr tor — serving the Guru, they cross over, once they drop mayr tor, the endless "mine" and "yours." Picture two kids pulling a toy until it snaps. Once they stop tugging, both can play.
The second is nar nindak lobhee man kathor — people full of lobh, greed, grow hard-hearted, and so do nindak, people who speak badly of others. The verse calls those who do not love to serve "thieves of thieves." The point is that they rob themselves. Grabbing and gossip keep them stuck. Letting go sets them free.
If someone is being unkind to you or hurting you, that is never something you have to accept. Telling a grown-up you trust is always the right thing to do.
When has holding on tightly to 'mine' made you feel worse, not better?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI