Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Through ego, the pull of things ties a heart up in wanting-two-directions.
That grip can't be forced away, or bargained off, or sold.
But the Guru's Word gently loosens it, and then it lets go from inside.
Body and mind grow clear, and the Name comes to live within.
Nanak says: the Word is what dissolves the grip -- and it comes to those turned toward the Guru.
A Guru Amar Das shalok. Maa-i-aa mohnee (the enchanting pull of things) is described as something you cannot simply kill, sell, or force away -- an honest observation about how stubborn ego and craving are. The one thing that works is the shabad (the Word), which parjaalee-ai -- dissolves it gently from within. The "burning" and "killing" are a loosening and dissolving: ego is a grip to be released, not an enemy to be destroyed.
Have you noticed that some habits can't be forced away but fade when something better takes their place?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI