ਮਿਰਤੁ ਦੂਖ ਸੂਖ ਲਿਖਿ ਪਾਏ ॥
mirat dookh sookh likh paa-ay.
Death, pain and pleasure are ordained by the Lord.
ਤਿਲੁ ਨਹੀ ਬਧਹਿ ਘਟਹਿ ਨ ਘਟਾਏ ॥
til nahee baDheh ghateh na ghataa-ay.
They do not increase or decrease by anyone's efforts.
ਸੋਈ ਹੋਇ ਜਿ ਕਰਤੇ ਭਾਵੈ ਕਹਿ ਕੈ ਆਪੁ ਵਞਾਵਣਾ ॥੧੩॥
so-ee ho-ay je kartay bhaavai kahi kai aap vanjaavanaa. ||13||
That alone happens, which is pleasing to the Creator; speaking of himself, the mortal ruins himself. ||13||
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Death, hard times, and good times are all already written into the flow.
They do not grow bigger or smaller because we push and pull at them.
Only what pleases the Maker comes to pass, and when we brag about ourselves, we only bring ourselves down.
Some things you cannot push or pull; you can only meet them steadily.
Calm is the answer to what cannot be forced. 'Aap vanjaavanaa': by boasting of yourself, you trip over your own feet. Death, too, sits inside the flow of life, alongside the hard days and the good ones.
A Question to Sit With
What is something outside your control that you could stop wrestling with?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI
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