Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Yogi, stay seated and be still, and the pain of being pulled two ways will run from you.
You go door to door holding out your bowl, and you feel no shame in it.
Sit still, yogi, and the ache of being pulled two ways runs off.
This is the pause line, the rahaa-o, the center of the shabad. Bais rahhu means "stay seated," be still inside. Dubidhaa means being pulled two ways at once. Dubidhaa dukh bhaagai means "the pain of being split in two runs off."
Think of trying to do homework while also checking every message that pops up. You feel torn and tired. When you settle on one thing, that tired feeling goes away.
The verse also teases the yogi for going ghar ghar, door to door, asking for food without any shame. The deeper begging is the restless wanting inside, always reaching for the next thing. Stillness is the cure. Settle the inside first.
When your mind is being pulled in two directions at once, what helps you get still?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI