Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
A life cut off from the One slips by, empty. It is like a mouse that nibbles and nibbles a whole stack of paper, ruining it without ever getting a single thing to eat.
So the prayer rises: be kind, gentle One, and loosen these tangles that hold me.
Those who were sinking, unable to see the way, the One lifts up — and sets them down safe in the Sangat.
A life turned away from the One can waste away like paper chewed by a mouse, and the Sangat lifts us out.
This verse holds the Rahao, the "pause" line at the center of the shabad. It pictures the saakat, the one turned away from the One, as a mouse chewing a pile of paper. There is lots of effort, and not one bite of real food. Kaam nahee gaavaaree — it is no use to anyone.
This is not scorn. It is a mirror. Anyone can lose whole seasons this way, like hours spent on a game that leaves you feeling empty.
Then comes the rescue. Boodat anDh naanak parabh kaadhat — the One pulls out those who are sinking and cannot see. SaaDh janaa sangaaree — by joining them to the Sangat — people gathered together to remember the One. Hope has the last word.
Have you ever worked hard at something that fed no real hunger? What might feed it instead?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI