Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Why give your whole heart to things that can't love you back? That road leads somewhere lonely.
When we chase only those, we can end up feeling like no one is really with us.
And we might look back with an ache, wishing we'd spent our days differently.
There's still time to sing about what's good — don't let these bright days slip past unused.
A leaf that breaks off its branch can't rejoin it; it drifts down all alone.
So keep close to the Name, and your heart won't have to wander, lost and aching.
This Chhant is the raag's warning song, and it needs the most careful handling in the whole section. The Gurmukhi uses stark language — sinner, regret, the falling leaf, the wandering soul — to shake a sleeping heart awake. The qMonk voice keeps the urgency while removing anything that would frighten or shame a child. The central image is gentle and true: paan patee jio... na milai — "the leaf separated from the branch cannot be rejoined; alone, it falls." This is not a threat but a picture of consequence — when we cut ourselves off from our source, we drift. And crucially, the verse is not fatalistic: it explicitly says "when will these days come again?" — meaning now is the time, there is still opportunity. The warning is really an invitation wearing a serious face: come back before you drift too far. For a child: giving your whole heart only to things that can't love you back leaves you lonely — so stay connected to what's real and good.
What are some things that can't really love you back — and what can?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI