Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
The ones the One loves are those who walk in step with the teaching. They quietly set aside their "me-first" voice and give themselves to serving others. They live so lightly, so free of grasping, that it's as if the old grasping self has already fallen away, leaving only the giving.
The ones the One loves set aside the me-first voice and give themselves to serving.
Say bhagat har bhaavday jo gurmukh bhaa-ay chalann — the devotees the One loves are those who walk in step with the Guru's way. Aap chhod sayvaa karan — they let go of aap, the me-first self, and do sayvaa. Sayvaa is selfless service, helping without wanting anything back. It is at the heart of Sikh life.
Jeevat mu-ay rahann — word for word, they stay "dead while still alive." That sounds gloomy, but it means the opposite. The old grabbing self has fallen away, while they are still living and full of life. Think of a kid helping at a community kitchen, so busy serving food that they forget to ask, "What about me?"
This is a picture of freedom, not sadness. Empty of ego, full of service.
Have you ever felt most yourself, most alive, precisely when you were helping someone else?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI