Taste the Real Light and the Fake Stops Glittering

Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa

This verse shows what life looks like after the ego goes quiet: the glitter loses its pull, and the heart rests in the Word.

The first change is where our attention goes. Maa-i-aa meh fir chit na laa-ay — they no longer fix their chit, their attention, on maa-i-aa, the shiny, passing surface of things. Fir means "again": they do not go back to it. This comes naturally from the seeing that opened up. Once someone has tasted the real Light, the glittery show just loses its grip. They do not have to force themselves to ignore it. Once you have tasted a fresh, ripe mango, a plastic one on a shelf does not tempt you. An earlier shabad said the same thing about the Name drawing us away from smaller charms.

So where does the attention rest instead? Gur kai sabad sad rahai samaa-ay — always soaked in the Guru's shabad, the Word. The mind that was scattered over a thousand wants, the fire of the earlier verse, is now gathered in one place. This is the cure for a restless mind. Not squashing it, but filling it with something better. A mind held by the Word has no spare attention left to throw on the fire.

Then the loveliest turn: sach salaahay sabh ghat antar — they praise the True One, whom they now see within every heart. This loops back to the one Light shining in all. Now they see the One inside everyone. Praising the One means honoring that inner Light in every person they meet. Each person becomes a lamp of the same Light. And they change too: sacho sach suhaavani-aa — they become suhaavan, beautiful and glowing, with the beauty of Truth. An earlier shabad spoke of this same inner sweetness showing on the face. When we stop burning and start resting in the Light, a quiet glow settles on us.