Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
You could rub the finest sandal-perfume on a donkey, and it would still head straight back to roll in the dust.
In the same way, a heart out of practice can pass right by the sweet nectar and reach for what only harms it.
We reach for what we are used to, and that can be retrained.
Chandan layp hot dayh ka-o sukh garDhabh bhasam sangeet — rub sandalwood oil on a donkey, and it still loves to roll in the dust. The picture is blunt, but the lesson is kind. What we like follows what we practice. A donkey used to the dust goes back to the dust, even when it smells of perfume.
Amrit sang naahi ruch aavat — there is no taste for amrit, the sweet nectar of the Name. The pull goes to what harms instead. The verse is not calling anyone a donkey. It is saying our reaching is trained by habit. Think of a kid who only ever drinks soda. Plain water tastes dull at first. Drink it for a few weeks, and it starts to taste good. Habit can be retrained.
What is something good you would like to make more of a habit?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI