Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Dear friends, link your mind to the Beloved. You cannot reach the One by being clever or by out-thinking the mystery. Instead, gently set down greed and going-along-with-the-crowd. Set down the grip of craving, anger, and the ego that says "me first."
You cannot reach the One by being clever. You reach the One by love, and by setting down what weighs you down.
This is the Rahao, the "pause" line at the center of the shabad. Ray jan man maaDha-o si-o laa-ee-ai — dear people, join your mind to the One. MaaDha-o is a name for the One. Then: chaturaa-ee na chaturbhuj paa-ee-ai — cleverness cannot win the One. Chaturaa-ee means cleverness, and Chaturbhuj, "the four-armed One," is another old name for the Divine. Think of trying to win a friend's love by out-arguing them. It never works.
The next line lists what to lay aside. Lobh, greed. Lokaachaar, just going along with the crowd. Kaam, craving. KroDh, anger. And the ego that says "me first." These are not named as crimes. They are like heavy backpacks to set down. The ego is a sickness to heal, not a sin to be punished for.
What is one heavy feeling you could set down today to make more room for love?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI