Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
The service that truly bears fruit is the one that gladdens the heart of the teaching.
When the teaching's heart is glad, mistakes and burdens fall away.
The students take the teacher's words in through open, listening ears.
Those who move in tune with the teaching are colored fourfold in the One's love.
This is the beautiful, one-of-a-kind way of those who follow the teaching: listening deeply, their minds blossom open.
A Pauri of the Fourth Mehl on service and mannai — inner alignment. The key phrase, satgur kaa man mannay, is about pleasing the teacher's heart, which the verse ties to sikhee kannay — students receiving the teaching "through the ears," an image of suniai (deep listening). Charhee chavgan vannay — "colored fourfold" — is the dye-image again, love deepening in intensity. The closing chaal niraalee gurmukhee names this "unique life-style" and ends on man bhinnay — minds that "blossom" (a cousin of vigaas) when they listen deeply. Note mannai is rendered as moving in tune / inner alignment, never "faith" or "belief."
When you really listen to someone — not just hear them, but take it in — what changes inside you? How is that different from just nodding along?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI