Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
O mother, I have not let go of the pride in my mind.
I spent my life dazzled by Maya, the shine of things that pass, and I never turned to loving the One.
Pride is a weight, and putting it down feels good.
These words come from Guru Tegh Bahadur, the ninth Guru. He speaks as if to his mother: "I have not let go of the pride in my mind." The word for pride is maan. He also says he has spent his days dazzled by Maya, the shine of things that do not last.
This line is the rahaa-o, the "pause" line. It is the center of the whole shabad, the line everything else turns around.
Think of carrying a heavy backpack all day and forgetting it is there. Your shoulders ache, but you do not know why. Then you take it off, and you feel light.
Pride is like that backpack. The verse does not treat it as a crime to confess. It treats it as a weight to set down. The ego, the part of us that always wants to be big and first, is something to heal. Setting it down is not a punishment. It is a relief.
When has letting go of being right felt lighter?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI