Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
I burned away my confusion and wore *that* as my ashes, and I made it my one path to see the One everywhere.
I made natural peace my daily nourishment — and that gift was written into me from the very start.
This one says the thing really worth burning is your own confusion.
Some yogis rubbed ashes on their bodies and followed a panth, a path. Guru Arjan turns both inward.
Bharam jaraa-ay charaa-ee bibhootaa — "I burned my doubt and wore that as my ashes." Bharam is doubt, the fog that keeps us from seeing clearly. The real giving-up is of that fog, not of clothes.
Panth ayk kar paykhi-aa — "my path is to see the One in all."
Sahj sookh so keenee bhugtaa — "I made natural peace my food." Sahj is a calm, easy peace that comes on its own.
Then the last words: thaakur mastak laykhi-aa — "the Master wrote this on my forehead." This points gently to grace. Think of a gift left on your desk before you even arrived at school. This inner yoga is a gift. It is not something we build all by ourselves.
What is one bit of worry or confusion you'd love to let go of completely?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI