Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Birds get caught in a net. We can get caught that way too.
We stay busy and happy, flitting from pleasure to pleasure. We do not even notice the mesh around us.
But when the One is kind to someone, the complete teaching cuts the net. Every strand falls away, and they are free.
This one says we can be caught like birds in a net, and grace sets us free.
aykai jaal fahaa-ay pankhee — birds are caught in one net. The net is Maya, the glittering show of the world that pulls at us. The birds do not seem upset. ras ras bhog karahi baho rangee — they play and enjoy themselves in many ways. They hardly notice the net at all.
Think of a video game that keeps you playing for hours. You are having fun. You do not see that the whole afternoon is gone.
Then comes the gift. gur poorai taa kay kaatay jaal — the Perfect Guru cuts the net for those the One is kind to. The bird is not punished. The net is simply cut. Freedom arrives as a gift.
Is there a habit that feels fun but keeps you stuck? What might help loosen it?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI