Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Picture one tree with a single fruit, and two birds sitting quietly in it.
One bird nibbles busily at everything and stays a little restless.
The other rests peaceful and still, tasting the sweetness of the good, true fruit.
You have both birds inside you — and you get to choose which one to feed.
This Shalok gives one of the most ancient and beautiful images in all Indian spirituality — the two birds on one tree (found also in the Upanishads). One tree (the body/life), one fruit, two birds "with no wings" who "are not seen coming or going." One bird "enjoys many pleasures" (the restless, grasping self); the other, through the Shabad, "remains in Nirvaanaa" (the peaceful, watching self). They are the two selves inside every person: the grabbing one and the serene one. The teaching is quietly empowering — both live in you, and your attention chooses which one grows. The one "imbued with the fruit of the Name" bears "the True Insignia of Grace."
Which 'bird' inside you do you feed most often — and how could you feed the calm one more?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI