ਡਰੀਐ ਜੇ ਡਰੁ ਹੋਵੈ ਹੋਰੁ ॥
daree-ai jay dar hovai hor.
Be afraid, if you have any fear, other than the Fear of God.
ਡਰਿ ਡਰਿ ਡਰਣਾ ਮਨ ਕਾ ਸੋਰੁ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
dar dar darnaa man kaa sor. ||1|| rahaa-o.
Afraid of fear, and living in fear, the mind is held in tumult. ||1||Pause||
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
If you are carrying any fear other than awe of the One -- that is the fear to watch out for. A mind that is scared of being scared, always braced for the next fright, is a mind tossed and churning, never still.
The fear to be wary of is the fear that will not let your mind rest.
The Rahao. Nanak inverts ordinary advice: do not fear danger -- fear the wrong kind of fear, the dread that destabilizes you. The person ruled by ordinary fear lives wobbling, in tumult and delusion. The only fear worth keeping is the one that stills you (awe); every other fear shakes you. This is the diagnostic edge of the whole shabad.
A Question to Sit With
What does your mind feel like when it is afraid of being afraid? What calms it?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI
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