Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Apart from the One, how can anyone live?
My heart is full of longing and hope to meet the One, and to drink in the sweetness of the One's lotus feet.
Apart from the One, life is hard to bear, and the heart leans forward in hope of meeting.
This is the rahaa-o, the "pause" line, the center of the shabad. Bichhurat ki-o jeevay o-ay jeevan means, "Apart from the One, how can anyone live?" This ache of missing the Beloved is called viraha. It is the feeling at the heart of Raag Malaar.
But here the ache is full of hope. Chiteh ulaas aas milbay kee: my mind is bright with hope of meeting. Aas means hope. Charan kamal ras peevan: to drink the sweetness of the One's lotus feet. It is like the rain-bird, which is said to wait for one special raindrop. The thirst trusts that the rain is coming.
What do you miss most when it's not near, and how does it feel to reunite?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI