Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
When a heart turns away from its own Source, it gets tangled in wanting, grasping, and pride.
Days can slip by in arguing and friction, with no quiet moment to reflect and settle.
Its clear understanding slips away, and its words turn sour.
No matter how much such a heart is given, it stays restless — the wanting never fills up, and a kind of fog settles over it.
It is far healthier to gently step back from that grasping pull, and not let it become the center of your own life.
A heart that forgets its Source gets tangled in wanting, and it is wise to step back from that grabbing pull.
This Shalok by Guru Ram Das describes the manmukh. That is a heart turned toward its own small self instead of its Source. Moolhu bhuli-aa means "it has forgotten the root."
It is a picture of restlessness. Lab lobh ahankaar means craving, grabbing, and pride. The days go by in jhagrhaa, quarreling, with no veechaar, no quiet thinking. There is a tisnaa, a thirst, that no amount of giving can fill. And over it all hangs agi-aan andh-yaar, a fog of not knowing. Think of a bucket with a hole in the bottom. Pour in as much as you like, and it never fills up.
The last line, manmukhaa naalo tutee bhalee, says "it is good to break away from the manmukhs." It points to a wise, gentle choice: do not let that grabbing, arguing pull become the center of your life. The manmukh is not an enemy to push away. It is a pattern to step back from, including when that pattern shows up in yourself.
Is there a wanting in you that never quite feels satisfied no matter what you get? What might it feel like to loosen your grip on it a little?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI