Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
In the company of good people I've come to hold the One close. The teaching handed me one simple thing to carry: just the Name.
Setting down my pride, I found the hostility draining out of me — no enemies left to make. And so, all through the day, I honor the teaching that showed me the way.
Guru Arjan says that when you set down your pride, your enemies start to disappear.
Saadhsang japi-o bhagvant — in the saadhsang, the company of good people, I remembered the One. Kayval naam dee-o gur mant — the Guru gave me just one guiding word to carry: the Name. A mant is a word you keep close and repeat.
Then comes the heart of the verse. Taj abhimaan bha-ay nirvair — letting go of abhimaan, pride, I became nirvair, free of hate. Nirvair is the same word used in the Mool Mantar, the opening lines of the Guru Granth Sahib, to describe the One: without hate.
Here is the insight. Hate grows out of ego, the "me first" self. Loosen one, and the other goes too. Think of two kids fighting over who is best at a game. Once one of them stops needing to be best, the fight has nothing left to stand on.
So all through the day, Guru Arjan honors the Guru's feet. That means he honors, with thanks, the teaching that showed him the way.
When you stop needing to be right or best, how does the way you see "opponents" change?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI