Sikhism·Raag Malaar·Shabad 11
Verse 3 of 5

Not By Puffing Up The Self

ਤ੍ਰੈ ਗੁਣ ਸਭਾ ਧਾਤੁ ਹੈ ਨਾ ਹਰਿ ਭਗਤਿ ਨ ਭਾਇ ॥
tarai gun sabhaa Dhaat hai naa har bhagat na bhaa-ay.
Under the influence of the three gunas, the three dispositions, the mind wanders everywhere, without love or devotion to the Lord.
ਗਤਿ ਮੁਕਤਿ ਕਦੇ ਨ ਹੋਵਈ ਹਉਮੈ ਕਰਮ ਕਮਾਹਿ ॥
gat mukat kaday na hova-ee ha-umai karam kamaahi.
No one is ever saved or liberated, by doing deeds in ego.
ਸਾਹਿਬ ਭਾਵੈ ਸੋ ਥੀਐ ਪਇਐ ਕਿਰਤਿ ਫਿਰਾਹਿ ॥੨॥
saahib bhaavai so thee-ai pa-i-ai kirat firaahi. ||2||
Whatever our Lord and Master wills, comes to pass. People wander according to their past actions. ||2||

Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa

In plain words

Caught in the three moods, the mind wanders everywhere, with no love or devotion for the One.

No one is ever set free by doing deeds in ego.

Whatever the Master wills comes to pass. People wander on, carried by their past actions.

Freedom comes through love, not through making yourself look big.
The deeper layer

Deeds done to puff up the self never set you free, and a mind pulled by its three moods wanders from love.

Trai gun sabhaa dhaat: pulled by its three restless moods, the mind runs everywhere and drifts from love. Gat mukat, freedom, never comes from haumai karam, deeds done in ego. Kirat, past action (karma), is the current people move within as they wander.

A Question to Sit With

Have you noticed the difference between doing good to look good and doing good because you care?

Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI

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