ਜਿਉ ਦੀਪ ਪਤਨ ਪਤੰਗ ॥
ji-o deep patan patang.
As the moth falls into the lamp,
ਜਿਉ ਚੋਰੁ ਹਿਰਤ ਨਿਸੰਗ ॥
ji-o chor hirat nisang.
as the thief steals without hesitation,
ਮੈਗਲਹਿ ਕਾਮੈ ਬੰਧੁ ॥
maiglahi kaamai banDh.
as the elephant is trapped by its sexual urges,
ਜਿਉ ਗ੍ਰਸਤ ਬਿਖਈ ਧੰਧੁ ॥
ji-o garsat bikh-ee DhanDh.
as the sinner is caught in his sins,
ਜਿਉ ਜੂਆਰ ਬਿਸਨੁ ਨ ਜਾਇ ॥
ji-o joo-aar bisan na jaa-ay.
as the gambler's addiction does not leave him,
ਹਰਿ ਨਾਨਕ ਇਹੁ ਮਨੁ ਲਾਇ ॥੮॥
har naanak ih man laa-ay. ||8||
so is this mind of Nanak's attached to the Lord. ||8||
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Think of how strongly a moth is pulled toward a bright flame, or how tight a habit can grip someone who can't seem to shake it.
That strong a pull, that tight a hold -- Nanak says: that is how firmly my heart is fastened to the One. All that pulling power, aimed at what is good.
*The strength of any pull can be aimed at what is good.*
The third wave repurposes images of strong pull -- the moth to the lamp, the grip of a hard habit -- kept abstract and turned into a picture of how firmly the mind can cling. The strength is admired only when aimed at the One.
A Question to Sit With
What is something you feel strongly pulled toward -- and is it good for you?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI
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