Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
A person arrives into the world, small and new. Soon they are woven in with family -- children, loved ones, all the people they belong to.
There are rich foods of every kind and fine clothes to wear. And yet all of it, dear one, will one day gently pass on. None of it stays.
This one says that everything in an ordinary life, however good, will one day pass.
Guru Arjan starts with the usual shape of a life. First we are born. Then we are woven into a family: putar kaltar kutamb, children, spouse, and relatives. We enjoy bhojan, food, and kapray, clothes, of many kinds.
Then comes the calm, honest note that runs through the whole shabad. Sarpar gavan karhigay — all of it will surely go. Think of a sandcastle at the beach. It is lovely, and we enjoy building it. And the tide will come in.
The word bapuray means "poor mortal." It can sound like scolding, but it is said with tenderness, like "dear one." This is not a threat. It is the honest ground from which the shabad's real question will rise: what does last?
What are the things you love most that you know will not last forever?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI