Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
As long as I schemed and worried and tried to control everything, I was full of frustration. When I met the kind, whole teaching, joy arrived all on its own, naturally and easily.
Ja-o la-o ha-o kichh socha-o chitva-o — "as long as I plotted and planned." The pauri contrasts the exhausting effort of trying to control life with the effortless arrival of joy through sahaj. The key is sehjay, "naturally": bliss comes not by forcing but by ceasing to force, when the poora gur (whole, perfect teaching) is met. This is one of Gurbani's steadiest lessons — the harder you grip, the more frustration; release, and ease flows in.
When has trying too hard to control something actually made it worse?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI