ਰਾਮ ਨ ਜਪਹੁ ਕਵਨ ਮਤਿ ਲਾਗੇ ॥
raam na japahu kavan mat laagay.
You have not meditated on the Lord; what thoughts are you attached to?
ਮਰਿ ਜਇਬੇ ਕਉ ਕਿਆ ਕਰਹੁ ਅਭਾਗੇ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
mar ja-ibay ka-o ki-aa karahu abhaagay. ||1|| rahaa-o.
What preparations are you making for your death, O unfortunate one? ||1||Pause||
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
What fills your thoughts all day? Whatever you turn to again and again, that is what you are quietly growing inside you.
So it is worth choosing on purpose. Turning toward the One, even for a moment, plants something that stays with you far longer than the things you rush around for.
Whatever you turn to again and again is what grows inside you — so choose it kindly.
raam na japahu kavan mat laagay — this rahaao is the shabad's keynote. The literal speaks of preparing for death; rendered here as the larger question — what are you building your inner life toward? — keeping the urgency and setting the fear aside.
A Question to Sit With
What do your thoughts drift to when nothing else is pulling at them?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI
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