Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Friends, this whole world wanders along half-asleep, fooled by its own confusion.
It has put down the Naam and handed itself over to Maya — the glittering pull of things that pass.
The world gets lost in confusion, and the invitation is simply to start remembering again.
This is the Rahao, the "pause" line at the center of the shabad. Guru Tegh Bahadur, the ninth Guru, speaks to the saaDho, the seekers. Ih jag bharam bhulaanaa — this world is lost in confusion, like someone half-asleep who cannot find the way.
Maa-i-aa haath bikaanaa — it has sold itself to Maya, the glittering pull of things that pass. That can sound harsh. It is better heard as a gentle wake-up call toward what lasts, not as doom. The invitation is simple: pick the remembering back up, like picking up a book you set down.
What helps you 'wake up' when you notice you've been drifting on autopilot?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI