Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Without the **shabad**, there's only darkness inside. In that dark you can't find the real treasure, and the endless circling doesn't stop. The *key* to the inner door is in the True Teacher's hand — no other key fits, no other way opens it — and you meet such a Guru by great good fortune.
The door to the treasure inside is locked by the ego. The ego cannot unlock itself. Only the Guru holds the key.
This song has given us many doors. The cave with its endless treasure. The heavy, rigid doors. The tenth gate of the inner home. Now comes the question: how does the door actually open?
Satgur hath kunjee horat dar khulai naahee — the kunjee (key) is in the True Guru's hand; no other key opens this door. Not outward rituals. Not long journeys to holy places. Not special powers won by hard practice. Not our own clever tries. Only the Guru's key fits this lock.
Why? The second verse said the ego is the lock. And the ego cannot unlock itself. A pair of scissors cannot cut itself. You cannot lift yourself off the ground by pulling on your own shoelaces. So the key must come from outside the ego. That key is the Guru's Word, which melts the very "me" that holds the door shut. This is why every other way fails. Each one is the ego trying to free itself.
The first lines show what happens if the door stays shut. Bin sabdai antar aanayraa — without the Guru's Word, there is only darkness inside. This is the darkness the Guru's eye ointment cleared away earlier in the song. Na vasat lahai na chookai fayraa — the real vasat (treasure) is not found, and the fayraa (going round and round) does not stop. It is like a hamster wheel. The restless wandering just goes on.
So everything depends on the key. And the last words keep us humble. Gur poorai bhaag milaavani-aa — we meet the Guru by great good fortune. We do not earn the one who holds the key. We are brought to him as a gift.
So the whole song fits together here. The treasure is inside, behind a door locked by the ego. The only key is the Guru's Word. And even meeting the Guru is grace. From beginning to end, opening the inner door is a gift. We bring our willingness. Grace brings the key.
Why can't a problem caused by your own ego usually be solved by that same ego? What does it take to get "a key from outside"?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI