Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Whoever dwells in the home of what is true is not shaken by change; they rest, settled and calm. But a heart turned only toward itself keeps coming and going in the ache of clinging too tightly.
This is the Rahao, the "pause" line, the center of the shabad. It asks: which home will you live in?
Sach ghar baisai kaal na johai — whoever sits in the true home is not caught by kaal. Kaal means death, and the change that time brings. Its gaze cannot fix on them and shake them.
Against this stands the manmukh, the person facing only themselves. They are stuck in aavat jaavat, restless coming and going. The cause is dukh mohai, the pain of moh, clinging too tightly.
Notice that the contrast is not good people against bad people. It is resting in truth against holding on to what passes. Think of a child clutching a sandcastle as the waves roll in, and another child sitting safe on the porch of home. The whole shabad turns on which home you choose.
What is something you hold onto so tightly that letting go a little might actually feel better?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI