Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
When the soul leaves the body, they will call the body a ghost.
No one will let it stay even half an hour; they hurry it out of the house.
When life leaves the body, the body cannot stay. This shows us that the body and its ties are only for a while.
Tan tay paraan hot jab ni-aaray — when the breath of life goes out of the body. Then people call what is left a parayt, a ghost. AaDh gharee ko-oo neh raakhai — no one keeps it even half an hour. It is taken out of the house.
The verse says this plainly and calmly. It is not meant to scare us. It does not say that families do not love each other. Families love deeply, and they still must say goodbye.
Think of a tent on a camping trip. It is a real home for a few nights, and we are glad of it. But we know we will pack it up. Our bodies are like that tent. Knowing this clearly helps us put our hearts into what lasts: love, kindness, and the Name.
If you truly held how temporary the body is, what would you invest more of your heart in?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI