Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
The heart-lotus of the one who follows only their own mind is turned upside down. Their thinking is shallow, their mind is blind, and their head is full of busy affairs.
Death and birth again always hang over your head. Without the Naam, a snare is caught around your neck.
A heart can turn upside down, like a lotus facing away from the sun, and the Naam turns it back to the light.
Oondha-o kaval means an upside-down lotus flower. A lotus faces up toward the sun to open. Turned down, it stays shut and in the dark.
That is the manmukh, the person who follows only their own wants. Their thinking stays shallow. Their head is full of busy affairs.
Picture a sunflower that has turned to face the wall. The sun is still shining, but the flower can't feel it.
Kaal bikaal means death and birth again, the endings and beginnings that circle over every life. The verse says that without the Naam, a person stays caught in that circle. Keeping the Naam close is what turns the flower back up to the light.
What helps you turn right-side up when you feel closed off?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI