Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Remember the One, remember the One. Your life is slipping away.
How many times must I tell you, again and again? O foolish one, why don't you understand?
Your body is like a hailstone. It melts away in no time at all.
Your life is slipping away, so remember the One now.
This is the rahaa-o, the "pause" line, the center of the shabad. Its beat is raam bhaj raam bhaj: keep the One in mind, keep the One in mind. Against it stands janam siraat hai: your life is slipping by.
The word gavaar means "fool." But listen to how Guru Tegh Bahadur, the Ninth Guru, says it. Kaha-o kahaa baar baar: why do I keep telling you, again and again? It sounds like a parent calling you in before dark, again and again. That is loving hurry.
Then comes the picture. Oray sam gaat hai: the body is like a hailstone, and it melts in no time. Think of a hailstone landing in your warm hand. It sparkles for a moment, then it is gone.
Under the sharp word is love: life is precious and short, so please do not miss it.
What is something beautiful and brief that taught you to pay closer attention?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI