Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
When my ego (haumai, the feeling of being cut off and on my own) goes away, I melt into the One I love.
Only then do I find the nine treasures of my Beloved, every good thing there is.
Guru Nanak is saying: when the ego steps aside, the closeness is already there.
Ha-umai jaa-ee taa kant samaa-ee means "when ego goes, she melts into the Beloved." Ha-umai, or haumai, is ego: the feeling that I am all on my own, the center of everything.
Nav niDh means the nine treasures. It is a picture of having everything good, nothing missing. Think of a glass door you keep bumping into. The room you wanted was right there all along. The only wall was haumai, not any distance of the Beloved.
When has letting go of me-first made room for something better?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI