Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
The most beautiful road your feet can take is the one that follows the One.
Every other direction you go racing off in tends to bring back exactly that much ache.
The best road your feet can take is the one that walks toward the One.
This is the rahaa-o, the "pause" line. It is the center of the shabad, the idea the rest of the song leans on.
Maarag means road or path. Guru Arjan says: "charnah gobind maarag suhaavaa," the most beautiful road for the feet is the one that follows Gobind, the Lord of the world.
Then he says that running after other things, dhaa-ee-ai, brings back just as much dukh, ache. Think of a map app. Some routes lead home, and some just lead you in circles. The more you drive in circles, the more tired you get.
This is not a rule someone made up. It is a plain look at where different roads really go.
Think of a path you took that left you feeling good, and one that left an ache — what was the difference?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI