Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Death takes all who are sick with clinging to "mine, mine." They live under the power of death's messenger.
But death's messenger does not even come near the one who turns toward the Guru and keeps the One held in their heart.
A heart that clings lives under the shadow of death, and a heart that holds the One is guarded.
The sickness here is mamtaa, possessiveness. It is the feeling of "mine, mine, mine." It grips a person like a sickness.
The verse says such people live under the jam, the messenger of death from the old stories. He stands for the fear that hangs over a heart that clings too hard.
Think of a child holding a toy so tight they can't enjoy it. They're too worried someone will take it away.
But a gurmukh, one who turns toward the Guru, keeps the One close. Jin har raakhi-aa ur dhaaraa: they hold the One in their heart. Then that fear cannot even come near. The heart is guarded.
What makes you feel safe and unafraid, even when things are hard?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI