Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
How sad to turn away from the very One who gave us our breath and our life. Doing so, we lose our way, wandering and searching through a hundred detours for what was ours all along.
This is the Rahao, the "pause" line, the center of the shabad. It asks how we could turn away from the very One who gave us life.
Tis si-o baymukh jin jee-o pind deenaa — they turn away from the One who gave them soul and body. Baymukh means "face turned away." Picture a sunflower turning its back on the sun.
Kot janam bharmeh baho joonaa — they wander through millions of births, in so many forms. There is also a wandering we can feel right now. A lost heart searches everywhere outside for what is already inside. The verse puts the weight on being lost, and that points to the way home.
Have you ever looked everywhere for something that was right beside you the whole time?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI