Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Light a lamp, and the darkness in a room simply leaves — it does not put up a fight. When the sun climbs up, you stop noticing the moon. That is how it works with understanding, too: the moment real understanding dawns, confusion quietly disappears.
People can read and study and think for years — and that is good. But reading alone does not change you; it is understanding, letting the light actually dawn inside, that carries you across.
This one means real understanding chases away confusion, the way a lamp chases away the dark.
deevaa balai anDhayraa jaa-ay — when the lamp is lit, the darkness goes. It does not fight back. It simply leaves. The same thing happens when the sun rises and the moon fades from view.
jah gi-aan pargaas agi-aan mitant — where wisdom shines, not-knowing is wiped away.
The verse says reading the Vedas, the old holy books of India, is the world's work. Learned people read them and think about them, and that is a worthy thing. But bin boojhay sabh ho-ay khu-aar — without real understanding, everyone is lost. This is true of reading in any tradition. The gurmukh, the one turned toward the Guru, is carried across.
What is something you can recite but don't yet truly understand — and what would understanding it feel like?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI