Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
"My body, my things, all mine — my gardens, my land, all mine." But every bit of it moves on in time. None of it was ever truly kept. When we forget the Great Giver who lent it all, in a moment it can pass into other hands.
Everything we call "mine" was only lent to us.
Tan mayraa sampai sabh mayree — my body, all my wealth, my gardens, my land. It sounds like a little chant of "mine, mine." Sabh jaa-ay — it all passes.
The verse is aimed at the word mayraa, "mine," more than at the things. Dayvanhaaraa bisri-o thaakur — forgetting the Master, the Giver, is what makes losing things hurt so much.
Think of a library book. You enjoy it, you take good care of it, and you know one day it goes back. When we remember that our things were lent, we can hold them with an open hand.
So remembering that life passes leads to thankfulness, not sadness.
What is something you love that you could hold as a gift on loan, rather than as "mine forever"?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI