Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Those who take the Word of the teaching into their hearts and hold it there gently loosen the grip of the fierce inner urges that used to pull them around.
They come to rest their ten senses under their own calm command -- and inside them, a light comes on.
This one says that when you take the teaching deep inside, a light comes on.
Guru Arjan starts by describing a settled person from the inside. Gur kaa sabad rid antar Dhaarai — they hold the Guru's Word deep in the heart. That is the root. Everything else grows from it.
Panch janaa si-o sang nivaarai — they cut their ties with the panch, the five fierce inner urges. Those urges lose their pull. Das indree kar raakhai vaas — the das indree, the ten senses, come under gentle control. Five of them take the world in, like seeing and hearing. Five of them act, like speaking and walking.
This is not forcing the senses down. It is poise. Think of a skilled rider on a calm horse. The horse is strong, but it goes where the rider gently guides it.
The fruit is taa kai aatmai ho-ay pargaas — their soul lights up. The rest of the shabad shows what this lit, settled life feels like.
What helps you feel calmly in charge of yourself, instead of yanked around by every impulse?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI