Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
When the 'wine' is ego, and the drinking-buddies are our cravings, we take on all kinds of trouble.
That cup, filled with make-believe, never really satisfies.
So swap the recipe: let wisdom be your sweetness and thankfulness your daily bread.
Let a gentle, awe-filled reverence be your real food, with the True Name holding you up.
Mardaanaa's second Shalok deepens the reinterpretation. First the honest diagnosis: "the body is the vat, self-conceit the wine, desire the drinking buddies" — and drinking that brew "one takes on countless sins." Then the transformation again: "make spiritual wisdom your molasses, the Praise of God your bread, and the reverent Fear of God the meat you eat." This is "the true food," with "the True Name your only Support." The pairing of P33–34 makes one memorable teaching: we're always being nourished by something — the question is what. Choose the feast that actually feeds you. That this comes from Nanak's Muslim companion underlines the shared table of the tradition.
What 'feeds' your heart in a good way, and what leaves you feeling worse after?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI