ਮਃ ੧ ॥
mehlaa 1.
First Mehl:
ਕਮਰਿ ਕਟਾਰਾ ਬੰਕੁੜਾ ਬੰਕੇ ਕਾ ਅਸਵਾਰੁ ॥
kamar kataaraa baNkurhaa bankay kaa asvaar.
A beautiful dagger hangs by your waist, and you ride such a beautiful horse.
ਗਰਬੁ ਨ ਕੀਜੈ ਨਾਨਕਾ ਮਤੁ ਸਿਰਿ ਆਵੈ ਭਾਰੁ ॥੩॥
garab na keejai naankaa mat sir aavai bhaar. ||3||
But don't be too proud; O Nanak, you may fall head first to the ground. ||3||
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
A beautiful dagger hangs at your waist, and you ride a beautiful horse.
But do not be too proud. Nanak says: you may fall headfirst to the ground.
The higher you ride on pride, the harder the fall it sets you up for.
Pride is a dangerous ride. The fine dagger and fine horse are the trappings of worldly status, and riding too high on haumai, the feeling of being a separate self, sets up a headfirst fall.
This short First Mehl shalok is a single sharp caution among the Vaar's longer verses on truth and grace.
A Question to Sit With
When has feeling too grand about something set you up for a stumble?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI
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