Verse 4 of 9

Clean Water, Muddy Water

ਸੰਗਤਿ ਸੰਤ ਮਿਲਹੁ ਸਤਸੰਗਤਿ ਮਿਲਿ ਸੰਗਤਿ ਹਰਿ ਰਸੁ ਆਵੈਗੋ ॥

sangat sant milhu satsangat mil sangat har ras aavaigo.

Joining the Society of the Saints, joining the Sat Sangat, the True Congregation, you shall come to receive the Sublime Essence of the Lord.

ਬਿਨੁ ਸੰਗਤਿ ਕਰਮ ਕਰੈ ਅਭਿਮਾਨੀ ਕਢਿ ਪਾਣੀ ਚੀਕੜੁ ਪਾਵੈਗੋ ॥੩॥

bin sangat karam karai abhimaanee kadh paanee cheekarh paavaigo. ||3||

But not joining the Sangat, and committing actions in egotistical pride, is like drawing out clean water, and throwing it in the mud. ||3||

Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa

In plain words

Join the saints, join the true Sangat. In the Sangat, the sweet taste of the One comes to you.

Doing deeds in pride, away from the Sangat, is like drawing clean water from a well and pouring it into the mud.

Pride poured into isolation wastes what company would have made sweet.

The deeper layer

In the Sangat you taste the sweetness of the One, and pride on your own wastes what is good.

Sangat sant milhu satsangat: join the saints, join the true Sangat. Har ras: the sweet taste of the One. Kadh paanee cheekarh paavaigo: like drawing up clean water, then tipping it into the mud. Think of pouring a cold glass of lemonade into a puddle. Good work done in pride ends up like that.

A Question to Sit With

When has doing something together made it far better than doing it alone?

Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI

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