ਸਕਰ ਖੰਡੁ ਮਾਇਆ ਤਨਿ ਮੀਠੀ ਹਮ ਤਉ ਪੰਡ ਉਚਾਈ ਰੇ ॥
sakar khand maa-i-aa tan meethee ham ta-o pand uchaa-ee ray.
Maya is so sweet to the body, like sugar or molasses. We all carry loads of it.
ਰਾਤਿ ਅਨੇਰੀ ਸੂਝਸਿ ਨਾਹੀ ਲਜੁ ਟੂਕਸਿ ਮੂਸਾ ਭਾਈ ਰੇ ॥੨॥
raat anayree soojhas naahee laj tookas moosaa bhaa-ee ray. ||2||
In the dark of the night, nothing can be seen. The mouse of death is gnawing away at the rope of life, O Siblings of Destiny! ||2||
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
The world's glitter is sweet on the tongue, like sugar or syrup, and we all haul great loads of it. But in the dark we cannot see what is happening: the little mouse of death is quietly chewing through the rope of our life.
While the world's sweetness distracts us, time quietly chews through the rope of our days.
Two unforgettable images. Maya is sweet -- attractive, not evil -- which is exactly why we over-carry it. And the mouse of death gnawing the rope of life in the unseeing dark: time is silently shortening while we are absorbed in the sweetness. Urgency without panic.
A Question to Sit With
What "sweet" distraction makes it easy to forget how short time is?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI
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