Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
His restless mind is tangled up in a dream.
He doesn't even grasp this much — that one day he must leave; he's gone dizzy chasing illusion.
Guru Arjan opens with the image that runs through so much of the tradition: life lived as a dream. The dreamer is so caught up in the dream's dramas that he forgets the most basic fact — that he will wake, that he must one day leave. "Dizzy with Maya" is the giddy absorption of someone chasing shiny things without noticing the ground is temporary. This isn't scolding; it's the gentle shake of someone trying to wake a friend who's about to sleep through something important. The whole shabad is a wake-up call, offered with concern rather than judgment.
What makes it so easy to forget what really matters when you're busy chasing everyday things?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI