Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Millions of plans and tricks and pushes come to nothing, serve no purpose.
In the shelter of the good, a person is made clean and pure, and set free by the Name.
This line says that endless struggling gets you nowhere, but one step into safe shelter changes everything.
Kot jatan upaav mithi-aa — millions of plans, tricks and efforts are empty. Kachh na aavai kaam — they don't do anything useful.
Against all that rushing around, the verse offers one quiet choice. Saran saaDhoo — take shelter with good, holy people. There a person becomes nirmalaa, clean and pure, and is set free through the Name.
Think of trying to open a locked door. You push, pull, kick and jiggle it for an hour. Then someone hands you the key. Effort pointed the wrong way never runs out. Grace, when it comes, works right away.
Where are you pouring effort that isn't moving you? What would 'taking refuge' instead look like there?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI