Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Simple doctor, do not give me medicine.
The pain stays, and the body goes on hurting.
Medicine like yours does nothing for me.
Some pain is too deep for ordinary medicine.
This line is the rahaa-o, the "pause" line, the center of the shabad. It repeats the words to the doctor: don't give me medicine. Darad hovai dukh rahai sareer: the pain goes on, and the body still aches. Aisaa daaroo lagai na beer: medicine like this does not work on me.
Think of feeling lonely and someone handing you a cough drop. It is kind, but it misses the point. The song is getting us ready for the cure that works. At the very end, it names that cure: the Naam.
How do you take care of a hurt that is on the inside, not the outside?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI