Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Almost no one keeps in mind that everything changes and passes.
Instead we cling most fiercely to the very things that are already slipping away — as if holding on could freeze them in place.
We hold on hardest to the very things that are already slipping away.
This is the Rahao, the "pause" line. It is the center of the shabad, the thought every other verse circles back to. Oh baylaa kachh cheet na aavai — that final hour never even crosses the mind. Binas jaa-ay taahoo laptaavai — and people cling to what is passing away.
Picture holding a handful of sand very tightly. The harder you squeeze, the faster it runs out between your fingers. The whole song turns on this: we spend our strongest grip on things that cannot stay.
The point is not to be afraid of endings. It is to see clearly. When we notice where we are pouring our love, we can pour it into something that lasts.
What are you holding onto right now that you know, deep down, will change?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI