Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
In the one small village of the body live five thieves; they've been warned off, and still they slip out to steal.
But the one who guards their treasure from the three moods and the ten pulls, Nanak says, comes free.
The Ashtapadee opens with a memorable picture: the body as a village, and living in it "five thieves" — the classic five (craving, anger, greed, attachment, pride). They have been "warned" yet keep stealing; the compulsions don't quit just because we know better. The one who is freed is the one who guards their treasure — their attention, their peace — from the moods and passions. Freedom is a kind of vigilance over what we let take from us.
What quietly steals your peace even after you've told yourself to stop letting it?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI