Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Without the Naam of the One, being born into the world goes to waste.
Without the Naam, you eat what is poison and speak words that are poison. You die without bearing fruit, and you keep wandering, round and round.
Without the Naam, a life in the world goes to waste, however full it looks.
This is the rahaa-o, the "pause" line, the center of the shabad. "raam naam bin birthay jag janmaa" — without the Name, a life in the world goes to waste. "bikh khaavai bikh bolee bolai" — such a person eats poison and speaks poison. Bikh means poison. It stands for things that give no nourishment, and for words that are sharp and bitter.
The verse also says such a life ends without fruit, wandering on and on. It is like eating chips all day. You feel full, but you are not fed. The Name is what sweetens what we take in and what we give out.
Do your words lately leave something sweet or something sour behind? How can you tell?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI