Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
The jewel of real wisdom was set right inside creation itself. By grace, it gets set inside *your* mind too.
All those good qualities people strain so hard to build come naturally when you keep the **Name** close. Self-control, a clean life, discipline and truthfulness grow like fruit on a watered tree, from the Perfect Guru, as you hold the Name.
This one says good habits grow by themselves when you care for the root, which is the Name.
After placing the whole world of forms inside Maya, the song turns to what lies beyond it. Tis vich gi-aan ratan ik paa-i-aa — inside the world, a jewel of gi-aan, true wisdom, was placed. And gur parsaadee man vasaa-i-aa — by the Guru's grace, the jewel comes to live in the mind. The wisdom that frees you from Maya isn't built by study. It is a jewel already set in you, uncovered by grace.
The last line turns the usual order upside down. Jat sat sanjam sach kamaavai — jat, keeping the body pure; sat, goodness; sanjam, self-control; and truthful living. Many people spend whole lives trying to force these into being by being very strict with themselves. Here they are said to come gur poorai naam Dhi-aavani-aa — from the Perfect Guru, by keeping the Naam, the Name, in mind. They are the fruit, not the ticket in. You don't discipline your way to the One. You keep the Name, and the discipline grows on you.
Think of a gardener. You can't pull fruit out of a tree by tugging on the branches. You water the roots, and the fruit comes on its own. Someone who strains only for the fruit can end up proud of how strict they are, and that pride feeds the ego. The gurmukh, the one who faces the light, looks after the root by keeping the Name, and lets the good qualities ripen. Effort aimed at the fruit wears you out. Care given to the root grows everything else.
Is there a good quality you've been forcing — that might grow more naturally if you tended its root instead of straining at the fruit?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI