Householder, Servant, and Free All at Once
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
The one who turns toward the Guru and knows their own self is a householder, a servant of the One, and free of the world, all at once.
Nanak says: there is no other. My mind is content in the True Word.
Know your true self, and you can live fully in the world and be free inside at the same time.
So girhee so daas udaasee: that person is a girhee, someone with a home and family. They are also a daas, a humble servant, and an udaasee, someone free of the world. These roles usually seem to pull against each other. Here they fit together.
Jin gurmukh aap pachhaani-aa: this happens for the one who turns to the Guru and knows their own deepest self. Naanak kahai avar nahee doojaa: Nanak says there is no other to look for. Saach sabad man maani-aa: the mind is content in the True Word. Think of someone who is a parent, a teacher, and a friend all at once, and happy in each. That is what inner freedom makes possible.
Do you think you have to choose between a normal life and a deep inner life, or can you have both?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI