ਗੁਰਮੁਖਿ ਕਰਣੀ ਕਾਰ ਕਮਾਵੈ ॥
gurmukh karnee kaar kamaavai.
The Gurmukh practices doing good deeds;
ਤਾ ਇਸੁ ਮਨ ਕੀ ਸੋਝੀ ਪਾਵੈ ॥
taa is man kee sojhee paavai.
thus he comes to understand this mind.
ਮਨੁ ਮੈ ਮਤੁ ਮੈਗਲ ਮਿਕਦਾਰਾ ॥
man mai mat maigal mikdaaraa.
The mind is like an elephant, drunk with wine.
ਗੁਰੁ ਅੰਕਸੁ ਮਾਰਿ ਜੀਵਾਲਣਹਾਰਾ ॥੨॥
gur ankas maar jeevaalanhaaraa. ||2||
The Guru is the rod which controls it, and shows it the way. ||2||
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
The one turned toward the teaching practices doing good, and so comes to understand the mind. The mind is like an elephant, drunk and out of control. The teacher is the guiding rod that steadies it and shows it the way.
The mind is a drunken elephant; the teacher is the rod that steadies and steers it.
A famous image: the mind as a drunken elephant -- enormously powerful, staggering, dangerous when unguided. The Guru is the mahout's rod that directs it. Note the method: the Gurmukh understands the mind by practicing good deeds -- understanding grows through doing, and even the wild elephant is guided, not killed.
A Question to Sit With
When your mind feels like a "drunken elephant," what helps steer it?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI
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