ਮਃ ੩ ॥
mehlaa 3.
Third Mehl:
ਮਾਰੂ ਮਾਰਣ ਜੋ ਗਏ ਮਾਰਿ ਨ ਸਕਹਿ ਗਵਾਰ ॥
maaroo maaran jo ga-ay maar na sakahi gavaar.
The ignorant people who go to the desert to conquer their minds, are not able to conquer them.
ਨਾਨਕ ਜੇ ਇਹੁ ਮਾਰੀਐ ਗੁਰ ਸਬਦੀ ਵੀਚਾਰਿ ॥
naanak jay ih maaree-ai gur sabdee veechaar.
O Nanak, if this mind is to be conquered, one must contemplate the Word of the Guru's Shabad.
ਏਹੁ ਮਨੁ ਮਾਰਿਆ ਨਾ ਮਰੈ ਜੇ ਲੋਚੈ ਸਭੁ ਕੋਇ ॥
ayhu man maari-aa naa marai jay lochai sabh ko-ay.
This mind is not conquered by conquering it, even though everyone longs to do so.
ਨਾਨਕ ਮਨ ਹੀ ਕਉ ਮਨੁ ਮਾਰਸੀ ਜੇ ਸਤਿਗੁਰੁ ਭੇਟੈ ਸੋਇ ॥੨॥
naanak man hee ka-o man maarsee jay satgur bhaytai so-ay. ||2||
O Nanak, the mind itself conquers the mind, if one meets with the True Guru. ||2||
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
People go off to lonely places trying to force their minds quiet, and it does not work.
Nanak says: to calm this mind, turn the Guru's Word over and over.
The mind is not conquered by wrestling it down, though nearly everyone tries.
Nanak says: the mind itself calms the mind, when it meets the True Guru.
The mind is not beaten into stillness; it is understood into it.
The counterpart shalok of the Third Mehl and one of the Vaar's deepest teachings. The mind cannot be conquered by force or by fleeing to the desert; 'the mind itself conquers the mind' through the Word and the Guru. Inner mastery is not violence against oneself but understanding.
A Question to Sit With
Have you noticed that forcing your mind to be calm often does the opposite?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI
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