Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Sister — do not forget the Name of the One of the universe.
A heart that spends its last on craving stays chained to craving, life leading only to more of the same.
This line is the gentle heart of the whole shabad: please don't forget the One.
It is the rahaa-o, the "pause" line, the center of the shabad (hymn). Aree baa-ee gobid naam mat beesrai — O sister, do not forget the Name of Gobind, the Lord of the whole world. All the strong warnings in this shabad are there to lead to this soft request.
Trilochan is not happy about hard rebirths. He speaks like a friend who cares. He is saying: fill your heart with the One now, so the One is what fills you at the end. The verse then warns that a mind busy with longing for someone at the end stays tied to that longing, and comes back to more of the same.
Think of a sports coach who says, "The last minute of the game counts." What they really mean is every practice counts. The warning about the last moment is really about every moment. What you keep paying attention to, you become.
If every moment is practice for what you'll be, what is today training you toward?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI