Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
On the second day, look at what happens when your heart clings to things that cannot hold you -- it leaves you restless and full of regret.
You did not bring any of those things with you when you arrived, and you will not carry them out with you either. So why let them run your life?
Pretending to be good on the outside frees no one. What frees you is the Guru's Word, changing you on the inside.
Clinging to passing things leaves us restless and sorry; the Guru's Word, taken to heart, sets us free.
This shabad is a Thittee, a song that walks through the days of the moon's cycle, one day at a time. Guru Nanak uses each day to teach something. Here it is the second day, and the word for "second" leads into doojai bhaa-ay: love of "a second," of something other than the One. That means holding on tight to things that pass away.
Doojai bhaa-ay lagay pachhutaanay — those who cling this way end up with regret. They keep coming and going, never settling. The verse paints a hard picture of death's messenger standing over them. The living lesson under it is simple: clinging leaves you restless and sorry.
Ki-aa lai aavahi ki-aa lay jaahi — what did you bring, and what will you take? Think of a sandcastle at the beach. It is fun to build, but you cannot carry it home.
Bin gur sabad na chhootas ko-ay — without the Guru's Word, no one is set free. Pakhand keenai mukat na ho-ay — pakhand, putting on a good show, frees no one. Only real change inside does.
What is something you cling to that you might be able to hold more loosely?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI