ਕਾਮਿ ਨ ਆਵੈ ਸੁ ਕਾਰ ਕਮਾਵੈ ॥
kaam na aavai so kaar kamaavai.
You do the deeds which do not help you at all.
ਆਪਿ ਬੀਜਿ ਆਪੇ ਹੀ ਖਾਵੈ ॥
aap beej aapay hee khaavai.
As you plant, so shall you harvest.
ਰਾਖਨ ਕਉ ਦੂਸਰ ਨਹੀ ਕੋਇ ॥
raakhan ka-o doosar nahee ko-ay.
There is none other than the Lord to save you.
ਤਉ ਨਿਸਤਰੈ ਜਉ ਕਿਰਪਾ ਹੋਇ ॥੩॥
ta-o nistarai ja-o kirpaa ho-ay. ||3||
You will be saved, only if God grants His Grace. ||3||
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
You pour yourself into things that do not help you at all.
As you plant, so you will gather in — the harvest matches the seed.
There is no one but the One who can save you.
You cross over only when the One's grace comes.
You harvest what you plant — and grace is what finally carries you across.
You eat what you plant: aap beej aapay hee khaavai, the plain law of karma. And the crossing itself comes when grace comes: ta-o nistarai ja-o kirpaa ho-ay. Effort and grace are held together.
Kaam na aavai so kaar kamaavai means doing work that does not help you where it counts.
A Question to Sit With
What is a good seed you could plant today that you would want to harvest later?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI
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