Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
A life lived without ever remembering the One can drift along like a creature that survives a long time. But it never truly wakes up to what living is for.
When we forget the One and turn only inward on ourselves, we get by. But we miss the deeper aliveness that was always on offer.
A life can be long and still miss the best part of being alive.
Guru Arjan opens with a contrast. Bin simran jaisay sarap aarjaaree — without simran, a life is like a snake's long life. Simran means remembering the One. A snake may live many years, yet never know warmth or closeness. The picture is about the kind of life, not about shaming anyone. It is the difference between just getting through the days and being truly awake.
Then comes the saakat. The saakat is a person turned only toward themselves, cut off from the One. All through this shabad, the saakat is someone missing out on aliveness, never someone to look down on.
The whole shabad is really a love letter to simran. Each verse says: look what you get to wake up to.
What is the difference between just getting through a day and being truly awake to it?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI