Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
At night, birds come to rest in a tree. Some settle down happy, some restless and sad, all tangled in what their minds keep wanting. And when the long night of a life is over, they look up at the open sky and scatter in every direction, each going where its own path carries it.
A whole life is like one night that birds spend together in a tree.
Tarvar pankhee baho nis baas — many birds rest in a tree for the night. We are those birds, and life is that one night. Sukh dukhee-aa man moh vinaas — some are happy, some are sad. All are caught up in what their minds want, and they come to an end.
Saajh bihaag takeh aagaas — when the night is over, they look up at the sky. The end of the night is the end of a life. Dah dis Dhaaveh karam likhi-aas — they fly off in all ten directions, each where its karam sends it. Karam here means the path our own actions have written for us.
Think of kids at a sleepover. They laugh, argue, and whisper all night. In the morning, everyone goes home a different way. That is the whole point of the picture. The gathering is short. We are fellow travelers, sharing the tree for one night.
If life is one short night together, how would you want to spend it with the people in your "tree"?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI