Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
When a heart turns its face away from the true teacher, it drifts into a lonely, unhappy place. It is cut off from the very help it needs, tangled up night and day, and it loses the precious chance the moment offers.
Turning away from help leaves a heart alone and stuck.
This shabad is by Guru Amar Das, the third Guru, in a form of Raag Gauree called Bairaagan. It opens with Ik Onkar satgur parsaad: there is One Creator, known by the true Guru's grace.
Satgur tay jo muh fayray tay vaimukh buray disann — those who turn their faces away from the true Guru are seen as faithless and bad. Vaimukh means facing away. The next line is sterner still. It pictures them tied up night and day, and says they will not get this chance again.
The teaching inside those hard pictures is about sadness. A heart that turns away is cut off from the help it needs. It gets tangled up, day and night. And it misses the chance this moment offers. Think of a kid who is lost but will not look at the map in their own hand.
The real force of the verse is an invitation. So let's turn our faces the other way, toward the light.
What happens to us when we turn away from the very help we most need? What makes it easier to turn back?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI