Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
There is a thirst inside people that keeps them always wanting more — and only a rare few ever discover what truly quenches it. Those few have found something the endless chasing could never give.
Almost everyone feels a thirst for more. Only a few ever find what truly quenches it.
Trisnaa is that restless thirst, the craving that no amount of getting can satisfy. This line is the rahaa-o, the pause, the center of the shabad. It sets out the puzzle plainly: tarisnaa birlay hee kee bujhee hay — the thirst of only a rare few is quenched. Birlay means the rare few.
Think of scrolling a video feed. There is always one more video, and you never reach the end. The rest of the shabad shows why most people stay thirsty: piling things up, wandering, forgetting. It also shows what the few have done differently.
This is not a judgment of ordinary people. It is a kind look at a very human ache.
Have you ever gotten something you really wanted, only to want the next thing right away?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI