Sikhism·Raag Malaar·Shabad 71
Verse 47 of 86

Not By Crying A Hundred Times

ਮਃ ੩ ॥
mehlaa 3.
Third Mehl:
ਬਾਬੀਹਾ ਇਵ ਤੇਰੀ ਤਿਖਾ ਨ ਉਤਰੈ ਜੇ ਸਉ ਕਰਹਿ ਪੁਕਾਰ ॥
baabeehaa iv tayree tikhaa na utrai jay sa-o karahi pukaar.
O rainbird, this is not the way to quench your thirst, even though you may cry out a hundred times.
ਨਦਰੀ ਸਤਿਗੁਰੁ ਪਾਈਐ ਨਦਰੀ ਉਪਜੈ ਪਿਆਰੁ ॥
nadree satgur paa-ee-ai nadree upjai pi-aar.
By God's Grace, the True Guru is found; by His Grace, love wells up.
ਨਾਨਕ ਸਾਹਿਬੁ ਮਨਿ ਵਸੈ ਵਿਚਹੁ ਜਾਹਿ ਵਿਕਾਰ ॥੨॥
naanak saahib man vasai vichahu jaahi vikaar. ||2||
O Nanak, when the Lord and Master abides in the mind, corruption and evil leave from within. ||2||

Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa

In plain words

O rainbird, your thirst will not go away like this, even if you cry out a hundred times.

By the One's kind glance the True Guru is found; by that kind glance love springs up.

Nanak says: when the Master lives in the mind, the wrong and harmful things leave from inside.

Complaining louder does not fill an empty place; love welling up does.
The deeper layer

Crying louder does not end the thirst; the One's kind glance brings the Guru, and love springs up.

A salok of the Third Mehl. Longing alone, cried out a hundred times, does not quench the thirst. Nadree, by grace, the True Guru is found and pi-aar, love, upjai, wells up. Love comes as a gift, and vikaar, the harmful habits, leave on their own when the One lives in the mind.

A Question to Sit With

Is there something you keep complaining about that might need a different approach?

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

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