Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
The body is like a little city with nine open gates — eyes, ears, and the rest — through which the mind keeps rushing out. Gently, I coax it to stay home.
And when the tangle of my restless moods loosens, a hidden tenth gate swings open inside, and the heart brims over with quiet joy.
The body is pictured as a city with nine gates and one hidden tenth gate.
Nagree aikai na-o darvaajay: one city with nine gates. The nine gates are the body's openings, like eyes, ears, nose and mouth. Our attention keeps rushing out through them. Kabir asks us to gently hold it back.
Think of a house with every door open on a windy day. The warmth drifts out. Close the doors, and the house fills with warmth again.
Tarikutee here is the knot of the three gunas, the three restless qualities of the mind. When that knot loosens, the dasvaa dar, the tenth gate, opens. That is the inner door of awareness, and then the mind brims with joy. The same tenth-gate picture runs through this whole shabad.
What helps you bring a scattered, rushing mind back home?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI