Raag Soohee, Shabad 80 - Dying While Still Alive
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
All day I keep the One in mind, and by grace I cross the churning waters of life.
And here is the strange, freeing thing. When I set down my need to be better than others and become humble as dust, the part of me that used to grab and fear quietly lets go. I die to that while I am fully, happily alive.
When the proud, grabby part of me lets go, I become more alive, not less.
Aath pahar parabh apnaa Dhi-aa-ee-ai — all day long, keep your God in mind. Gur parsaad bha-o taree-ai — by the Guru's grace, we cross the scary ocean of life. Parsaad means a gift of grace.
Aap ti-aag ho-ee-ai sabh raynaa — let go of self-pride and become the dust under everyone's feet. That self-pride has a name, haumai. It is the feeling of being a separate, better self. Jeevti-aa i-o maree-ai — this is how we die while still alive. It does not mean the body. It means haumai fades away while the person lives fully, more alive than before. Think of a player who stops caring who scores. Suddenly the game is more fun, and the whole team plays better.
What would it be like to let the grasping, comparing part of you rest?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI