Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
What does a person really gain by living stuck in "me, me, mine"? Not much. But whoever meets the full, complete teaching finds that all their inner arguing and conflict simply quiet down.
This one says the ego wins nothing worth keeping.
Guru Nanak asks it plainly. Ha-o ha-o kar marnaa ki-aa paavai — living and dying saying "I, I," what does a person gain? The honest answer is: nothing that lasts.
Then the turn. Pooraa gur bhaytay so jhagar chukhaavai — whoever meets the Perfect Guru is rid of the quarrel. Pooraa means perfect, complete. Jhagar is the quarrel.
This quarrel is inside. It is the tug-of-war of wanting, defending, and comparing that a separate "me" is always fighting. Think of two voices in your head arguing late at night about who was right. Meeting the teaching does not win that fight. It takes away the need to fight at all.
What is an argument inside your own head that you wish would just quiet down?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI