Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Some go through the motions of devotion without a true Teacher — but without that guidance, the motions stay hollow.
Caught in the fever of ego and endless wanting, a heart can wear itself down. Pulled two ways at once, a person loses their footing; without the Teacher, the heart of the matter stays hidden.
Without real love, a heart wanders the whole world confused and leaves it full of regret. Out of millions, only a rare one truly recognizes the True Name. Through the Name comes real greatness; being pulled two ways, honor slips away.
manmukh bhagat karahi bin satgur — going through devotional motions without the Teacher: manmukh is the self-turned heart, doing the outward forms while missing the inward reality. This is formalism named plainly — ritual without the living understanding is empty. haumai maa-i-aa rog — ego and grasping described as a rog, a disease, something to be healed rather than punished. doojaa bhaa-o, the pull-two-ways, is the root problem; the Teacher is what steadies a divided heart.
What is the difference between doing something with your whole heart and just going through the motions?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI