Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
My horn, like a wandering yogi's, is an awake mind that listens to the Shabad and the teaching, and people hear its sound.
My begging bowl is honor, a life lived with dignity, and the gift I receive in it is the Naam.
A yogi's tools can become tools of the heart.
A Nath yogi is a wandering holy man who follows the great teacher Gorakhnath. He blows a curved horn, the singi, to let people know he has come. He carries a jholi, a bowl for gifts of food.
Guru Nanak says his own horn is surat sabad saakhee: an awake mind that listens to the true teaching, the Shabad. His bowl is pat, honor, a life lived with dignity. And the gift he collects in it is naam, the Name of the One.
Think of a team jersey. You can wear it, or you can play your heart out for the team. Guru Nanak does not make fun of the horn or the bowl. He honors them by showing what they stand for inside.
What is something you carry on the inside that no one can see?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI