ih jag taago soot ko bhaa-ee dah dis baaDho maa-ay.
This world is like a thread of cotton, O Siblings of Destiny, which Maya has tied on all ten sides.
ਬਿਨੁ ਗੁਰ ਗਾਠਿ ਨ ਛੂਟਈ ਭਾਈ ਥਾਕੇ ਕਰਮ ਕਮਾਇ ॥
bin gur gaath na chhoot-ee bhaa-ee thaakay karam kamaa-ay.
Without the Guru, the knots cannot be untied, O Siblings of Destiny; I am so tired of religious rituals.
ਇਹੁ ਜਗੁ ਭਰਮਿ ਭੁਲਾਇਆ ਭਾਈ ਕਹਣਾ ਕਿਛੂ ਨ ਜਾਇ ॥੬॥
ih jag bharam bhulaa-i-aa bhaa-ee kahnaa kichhoo na jaa-ay. ||6||
This world is deluded by doubt, O Siblings of Destiny; no one can say anything about it. ||6||
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
In plain words
Picture the world as a bundle of string, knotted up on every side by all our wanting and grasping.
You can tug and tug with routines and rituals until your hands are tired, and the knots just do not loosen.
They come undone gently, with the help of a real guide, and then the confusion that had everyone spinning quietly clears.
Some knots will not yield to force, only to the gentle help of a real guide.
The deeper layer
ih jag taago soot ko — the world a cotton thread; dah dis baaDho maa-ay — tied on ten sides by Maya. bin gur gaath na chhoot-ee — without the Guru the knot will not loosen; thaakay karam kamaa-ay — worn out by rituals. The knot of attachment yields to the teaching, not to effortful ceremony.
A Question to Sit With
When has forcing something made it tighter, and letting go helped?
