Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
When all the senses are off chasing their own little pleasures, no one's minding the house.
And an unguarded home is easy to slip into — the five restless pulls can wander right in while the place is left wide open.
This one says a mind that no one is watching is easy for restless pulls to wander into.
Sagal sahaylee apnai ras maatee — all the companions are lost in their own pleasures. The companions are the senses. Garih apunay kee khabar na jaatee — no one is keeping watch over the home. Then musanhaar panch batvaaray, the five robbers, slip in. Soonay nagar paray thag-haaray — the thieves come into the unguarded village.
Gurbani often speaks of these five inner thieves: strong wanting, anger, greed, clinging, and pride. Here they are not scary bandits. They are five inner pulls that drift into a mind nobody is minding. It is like leaving the front door open while everyone watches TV. Things wander in.
The lesson is to keep watch, gently, and without fear.
When you're distracted, what habits sneak in that you'd never let in if you were paying attention?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI