Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Ego has led the world in circles — ego (haumai — the feeling that you are a separate self), and the confusion and harm that follow it.
Meet the True Guru, and a glance of grace reaches you; without it, the restless mind stumbles in the dark.
Nanak says: the One gathers close all those in whom love for the Word has been awakened.
A short, potent Shalok of the Third Mehl. It names haumai (ego) as the thing that leads the whole world astray — not as a crime to punish but as a kind of dizziness, walking in circles. The remedy is not effort but meeting: satgur milai ta nadar ho-ay — meet the True Guru, and the glance of grace is simply there, always was. The manmukh (self-directed, restless mind) is described as groping in darkness — an image of confusion, not condemnation. The closing line reframes everything as grace: the One draws close those in whom love has been awakened. You do not earn the light; you become open to it.
When have you felt stuck or turned-around? What finally helped you see clearly again?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI