Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Sometimes, when feelings run high, a person storms off from home and only ends up lost; then he peers into other people's homes.
He lets go of his duties at home and does not meet the True Guru, and his thinking spins like a whirlpool.
He wanders to far lands and reads many books until he is worn out, and his thirst only grows.
This body that will not last does not know the Word; it only fills its stomach, and knows nothing more.
Running away from home does not fix a restless heart.
This verse opens a longer song by Guru Nanak about what a true sani-aasee is. A sani-aasee is someone who gives up ordinary life to seek God.
The verse starts with a manmukh, a person who follows only his own wants. In a burst of feeling he walks out on his home. Then he ends up staring at other people's homes, wishing. He drops his duties and does not meet the True Guru, the true Teacher. He travels far and reads many books. But tarisnaa ho-ay vaDhayrai — his thirst only grows. The verse even says he just fills his stomach, like an animal. It means a life with the deeper part asleep.
Think of someone who is unhappy and keeps changing schools. At each new school, the same unhappy feeling comes along. The answer was never in a new place. It was inside. Guru Nanak honors home life. This song will show that the real seeker can be found right at home.
Has getting away from a problem ever just carried the problem with you?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI