Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
When I try to figure everything out alone, I get tugged back and forth — a little good on one side, a little not-so-good on the other — and I wear myself out.
What settles the tug-of-war is the teaching. With it, I stop being yanked around and start walking a steady line.
Without the Guru, we get pulled two ways at once.
Gaafal gi-aan vihooni-aa: a careless mind is empty of wisdom. Gur bin gi-aan na bhaal: so do not look for wisdom without the Guru.
Khinchotaan viguchee-ai, buraa bhalaa du-ay naal: in a tug-of-war, we fall apart, with good and bad pulling at us together. Think of a rope pulled by two teams. The rope in the middle never gets to rest.
The verse says that without the Shabad and a loving respect for the One, everyone is left unanchored. The Guru's Word ends the tug-of-war and gives us a steady path.
When have you felt pulled between two choices, and what helped you decide?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI