Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
People gather the poison of Maya, money and passing things, and their minds fill with all kinds of wrong plans. Peace comes by singing and remembering the One with the saints, in the Sangat, meeting the True Guru, the holy Guru.
Dull iron scrap turns to gold at the touch of the magic stone. In the same way, someone who has fallen joins the Sangat and becomes pure through the Guru's teaching.
No heart is too heavy or dull to be made bright in the Sangat.
It starts with a warning. People gather bikh maa-i-aa, "the poison of Maya." Here maa-i-aa means the pull of money and passing things. Chasing it fills the mind with bad plans. Peace comes a different way: remembering the One with good people.
Then comes one of Gurbani's great pictures. In old stories, the paaras was a magic stone. Touch it to a lump of manoor, rusty iron scrap, and it turns to kanchan, gold. Nothing is too plain to be changed.
The verse says patit jan mil sangtee suDh hovat: one who has fallen, joining the sangtee, the Sangat — people gathered together to remember the One — becomes pure. Patit means fallen or stuck. And suDh means pure and clean.
Think of a dusty old bike, rusted and forgotten in a garage. In the hands of a friend who knows bikes, it shines and rides again. The change comes through care.
What is something ordinary that became wonderful once it was cared for?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI