Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Learn from the teaching, and the fear of ending loosens its hold on you. When the heart is split — half here, half chasing elsewhere — that's what eats away at our peace. So come home to what is whole.
Serving the Guru frees you from the fear of the end. A heart split in two slowly eats away its own peace.
This is the Rahao, the "pause" line at the center of the shabad. Gur sayvaa kara-o fir kaal na khaa-ay — serve the Guru, and death shall not eat you up. Kaal means death, or time running out. Here it means freedom from the fear of ending.
Manmukh khaadhay doojai bhaa-ay — the manmukh, the one who follows only their own wants, is eaten up by doojai bhaa-ay. That means the love of "two-ness," a heart split in two. Think of doing homework while watching a show. Half of you is in each place, and neither half feels good. A divided life quietly eats away our peace. The teaching brings us home to being whole.
When does feeling pulled in two directions wear you out — and what makes you feel whole again?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI