Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
O Beloved, none of this is the way to reach You — I have tried these things again and again.
Worn out, I sink down at Your door and simply ask: please give me the clear sight to see truly.
A person can stay silent, own nothing, and wander far from everything —
can travel to every holy river and sacred place — and still the feeling of being separate won’t lift.
This is the pause line, the rahaa-o, the center of the whole shabad. It says: all my hard trying has not brought me to You, so please give me clear sight.
In biDh milan na jaa-ee means this is not the way to meet the One. The singer has tried again and again. Then comes haar pari-o su-aamee kai du-aarai: worn out, I sink down at my Master's door. And one true request: deejai buDh bibaykaa, please give me wisdom that can tell real from unreal.
Then the verse lists what people try. Mon, staying silent. Owning nothing, and using your hands as a bowl. Nagan firi-o ban maahee, wandering in the forest with nothing. Visiting every holy river and place. Yet dubiDhaa chhutkai naahee: the feeling of being separate from the One does not lift. That feeling is haumai, the ego.
It is like trying to fix a slow WiFi by walking to every room of the house. The problem was never the room. The change has to happen inside.
What’s the difference between doing something and truly meaning it?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI