Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Nanak says our bodies are like little forts built out of earth, and someday, gently, they return to the earth again. That is simply how bodies are, and there is nothing scary in it.
But there is one quiet thief to watch for — something false that settles inside and steals your peace without you noticing. When you catch it and turn back toward what is true, you get your calm back. The thief only takes what you forget to guard.
The body is a fort of earth, and the thing to guard is the heart inside it.
Dhayree dheh pa-ee mitee sandaa kot — the heap falls; the fort is made of earth. Bodies return to the earth, and that is the plain way of things. Bheetar chor bahaali-aa — a thief has been seated inside. Many readers hear that thief as haumai, the grabbing, proud self that quietly steals peace. Khot means something false or counterfeit, like a fake coin. You can notice it, set it down, and keep the true coin.
What is one small thing that quietly steals your peace — and how could you guard it?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI