Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
It is easy to get tangled in pleasures that promise a lot and give back very little, and the way forward is narrow and tight.
Nanak says: wake up and understand, my unknowing heart. Today or tomorrow, the knot that holds this life together will come loose.
Wake up to what matters, because life will not last forever.
The verse says we get tangled in pleasures that promise a lot and give back little. And the path we have to walk is narrow.
"Samajh ray i-aanay" means understand, O unknowing one. It can be heard as a kind word to the part of us that has not woken up yet.
"Aaj kaal khulhai tayree gaanthulee" means today or tomorrow, your knot will come loose. The knot is what holds this life together. One day it opens.
That is not a threat. It is a reason to wake up now, while there is time. Think of a school day that is almost over. You would want to spend the last hour on what counts.
If you gently reminded yourself that today is a gift, what would you want to do differently?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI