Sikhism·Raag Bhairao·Shabad 56
Verse 4 of 5

What a True Guide Can Cure

ਰੋਗੇ ਮਰਤਾ ਰੋਗੇ ਜਨਮੈ ॥
rogay martaa rogay janmai.
In disease the mortals die, and in disease they are born.
ਰੋਗੇ ਫਿਰਿ ਫਿਰਿ ਜੋਨੀ ਭਰਮੈ ॥
rogay fir fir jonee bharmai.
In disease they wander in reincarnation again and again.
ਰੋਗ ਬੰਧ ਰਹਨੁ ਰਤੀ ਨ ਪਾਵੈ ॥
rog banDh rahan ratee na paavai.
Entangled in disease, they cannot stay still, even for an instant.
ਬਿਨੁ ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਰੋਗੁ ਕਤਹਿ ਨ ਜਾਵੈ ॥੩॥
bin satgur rog kateh na jaavai. ||3||
Without the True Guru, the disease is never cured. ||3||

Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa

In plain words

In sickness people die, and in sickness they are born.

In sickness they wander from life to life, again and again.

Tied up in sickness, they cannot be still for even a moment.

Without the True Guru, the sickness never goes away.

Some things you cannot cure alone — and that is okay; help exists.
The deeper layer

The sickness of ego keeps you restless, from life to life, until the True Guru heals it.

Rogay martaa rogay janmai: in sickness a person dies, in sickness is born. Rogay fir fir jonee bharmai: in sickness they wander again and again through many lives. The same sickness shows up in a single day as restlessness: rahan ratee na paavai, not a moment of stillness. The cure is a true guide: bin satgur rog kateh na jaavai, without the True Guru the sickness does not leave.

A Question to Sit With

When has asking for help fixed something you were stuck on?

Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI

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