Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
A cup is truly clean when it is ready to hold what the One pours into it. A cup crusted with grime doesn't come clean from a quick rinse.
At the teacher's door, understanding comes, and there a heart gets truly washed and made clear. The One is the one who knows the difference between what's cloudy and what's clear.
Don't just assume everything will sort itself out later — the way you live becomes the person you are. When the One places the Name inside you like sweet nectar, your life is set right, and you walk on with honor, as if music were playing for you.
And it isn't only about one person: that gladness echoes out far and wide, and its goodness reaches everyone connected to it, near and far.
Guru Nanak is saying: a heart gets truly clean at the Guru's door, and the way you live shapes who you become.
The picture is a bhaaNdaa, a vessel, like a cup or a pot. BhaaNdaa hachhaa so-ay jo tis bhaavsee means the clean vessel is the one the One is pleased with. BhaaNdaa at maleen Dhotaa hachhaa na ho-isee means a very dirty pot doesn't come clean with a quick wash. Think of a pan with burnt food stuck on. A splash of water won't do it. It needs a real scrub.
Guroo du-aarai ho-ay sojhee paa-isee means understanding comes at the Guru's door. That is where the heart gets truly washed. The One is the one who knows what is cloudy and what is clear.
Mat ko jaanai jaa-ay agai paa-isee means "don't think you'll just find a place later on." Jayhay karam kamaa-ay tayhaa ho-isee means "as you act, so you become." Karam means what we do.
When the One gives the amrit, the sweet nectar of the Name, life is set right. That person walks on with honor, as if music were playing. The gladness echoes through the three worlds, everywhere. Sabh kul taarsee means the whole family is carried across too. The goodness of one life reaches everyone connected to it.
What helps you feel truly clean and clear inside after you've made a mistake?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI