Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Some people come into this whole wide world and never once stop to understand what it's really about. They live on the surface, half-asleep, missing the point.
But those who turn toward the wisdom that wakes them understand. The openness to that understanding was written into them from the start. It is like a gift waiting to be opened.
You can pass through the whole world half-asleep, or wake up to what it means; the power to wake has been in you all along.
This Shalok is about the difference between just existing and waking up. Aavan aa-ay sarisat meh bin boojhay pas dhor — those who come into the world without understanding are like pas dhor, animals and cattle. It means a life run only by hunger and habit, with no thought about what it all means. It is not calling anyone a beast. It describes living on the surface, half-asleep, missing the point. It is like watching a whole movie while scrolling on your phone.
The turn comes next. Naanak gurmukh so bujhai — the gurmukh, the one who faces the teaching, understands.
The last words, jaa kai bhaag mathor, speak of good fortune written on the forehead. That sounds like fate. It can also be heard as grace already present. The power to wake up is not earned late. It was planted from the beginning, like a gift waiting to be opened. Everyone carries it. Understanding is remembering it.
What is something you moved through without really noticing, until one day you finally paid attention and saw it?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI