Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
A life spent only on eating and drinking, laughing and dozing, can slip right through your fingers, left unused.
You can circle the same small wants for a very long time without ever waking up to what you are here for.
A life can slip by unused if we only eat, drink, laugh, and sleep.
Khaat peevat hasat sovat — eating, drinking, laughing, sleeping. None of these is wrong. The trouble is when that is all there is. A-odh bitee asaar — the span of life passes by, empty of what matters.
The verse goes on to speak of wandering round and round through many lives, and of death at the end. It carries the ache of a life that has not yet woken up.
Think of a summer vacation spent only on the couch. The days are gone before you know it, and you wonder where they went. Wake up now, while there is time.
What makes a day feel well used rather than wasted?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI