Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
A proud, restless mind does not know its true home — here one moment, gone the next.
Called again and again, it does not come home; how then will it feel truly welcome?
Rare is the one who knows the true home of the teaching, and stands ready, hands folded, with an open heart.
When the One turns kind, they are gently brought back home.
A Shalok of the Third Mehl about the mahal — the "Mansion," the true home, the felt presence of the One. The proud, unsettled mind "does not know" this home (mahal na jaanai) and flits — "here one moment, gone the next." Per the guidelines, the manmukh is described by its restlessness, not condemned. The rare one (virlaa) who does know it "stands with palms pressed together" (kar jorh) — an image of readiness and openness, not fear. And the resolution is grace: la-ay bahorh — the One "brings them back home." The whole verse is the parable of the wanderer welcomed back, needing only to turn around.
When you feel scattered and pulled in many directions, what does "coming home" to yourself feel like? What helps you get there?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI