Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
A long life is a wasted thing if love for the Name never grows in it. All the comfort in the world means little if it only pulls the heart down into a fog of grasping. But truly full — truly fruitful — is the life of the one who leans on the Name as their support.
This one says a long, easy life can still be empty if love for the Name is missing.
The verse uses the word Dharig, which usually means "cursed." Its point is that such a life is hollow. And the word "if" matters. Dharig baho jeevan jit har naam na lagai pi-aar — a long life is hollow if love for the Name never grows in it.
The second line speaks of a comfortable bed that pulls the heart into moh gubaar, a dark fog of grasping. Moh is clinging attachment. The grasping is the point. Think of a cozy couch and a screen that keep you there all day. It feels soft, but the day slips away.
Then the turn is all good news. Tin safal janam jin naam aDhaar — fruitful is the life of those who lean on the Name. ADhaar means support, like the frame that holds up a house. The teaching is the contrast between a hollow life and a fruitful one.
What makes a life feel truly full to you — is it comfort, or something else?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI