Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
O restless mind, you dart around, so quick and so clever -- set down the cleverness that only leads you in circles.
Hold the Name instead. When everything else falls away at the end, that is what carries you through.
This one asks the busy, clever mind to put its cleverness down and hold the Name.
Man karhalaa — "O camel-like mind." A camel wanders wherever it likes. The verse calls this mind chanchlaa, restless. Chanchal means darting, never still.
Chaturaa-ee is cleverness. It is the mind being proud of how sharp it is. Guru Ram Das gently asks it to set that down.
Har har naam samaal — "hold on to the Name of the Lord." The Name is the One, remembered with love.
Then the verse speaks of ant kaal, the very last moment. This is a comfort, not a threat. When all the clever, changing things let go, the Name is what stays with you.
Think of a paper boat and a sturdy canoe. The paper boat is quick and fun to fold, but it can't carry you across a river.
Cleverness is not called bad. It is simply shown to be light, too light to carry real weight. It is the same measure Guru Nanak used to open this raag.
When has being clever gotten you tangled up instead of helping?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI