Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Looking at all we have — family, belongings — it is easy to hold on tightly and call it all our own.
But whatever we clutch this way, one day we set it down and move on. However hard we grip, we cannot keep it.
Love your family and your things, but hold them lightly.
Maa-i-aa ka-o laptaanaa — clinging to Maya, the passing world. The verse is not against loving your family. It is against a tight grip. That kind of grip starts to believe that what we hold is who we are.
Chhod saraapar jaanaa — surely, one day, we leave it all behind.
Think of holding sand. In an open hand, you can enjoy how it feels. Squeeze it in a fist and it pours out, and your hand hurts. What we love lightly, we can enjoy. What we clutch only aches.
What is the difference between enjoying something and being unable to let it go?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI