Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
You can churn plain water until your arms ache, but how could butter ever come of it?
In the same way, without meeting the Guru, no one is set free, and no one meets the Lord of the whole world.
Working hard with the wrong thing only wears you out.
The picture is someone churning water to make butter. Butter comes from churning milk, not water. So they can churn until their arms ache, and still no butter comes.
This is effort pointed the wrong way. Lots of energy, no result.
Guru Arjan says what is missing is the Guru. Without meeting the Guru, the true teacher, no one finds mukat, freedom, or meets Jagdees, the Lord of the whole world.
Think of studying hard for a math test from your history book. The effort is real, but you need the right book and the right teacher.
When has working harder not helped, because something else was missing?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI