Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Young or old, it makes no difference: if we live turned only toward ourselves, a certain hunger and thirst never quite goes away.
But steeped in the true Word, a person cools down — the feverish, grabbing self quiets, and a calm settles in.
Full and content inside, they simply stop feeling that gnawing hunger; it does not come back to nag at them.
Nanak says: whatever the Guru's people do flows from that peace, and it is good, because they stay lovingly wrapped up in the Naam.
Getting older does not cure the hunger inside, but the Word can cool it.
Ki-aa gabhroo ki-aa biraDh means whether young or old. Manmukh tarisnaa bhukh na jaa-ay: for the manmukh, the person turned only toward themselves, the hunger does not go away. Time alone does not fix it. Think of someone who gets a bigger phone every year, and still wants the next one.
Then comes a lovely cooling picture. Seetal ho-ay means they become cool. It is like a fever breaking. The gurmukh, the one turned toward the Guru, is rati-aa, dyed through, in the Word. The hot, grabbing self goes quiet.
The last line brings comfort. Jay gurmukh karahi so parvaan: whatever such a person does is accepted. When the root is peaceful, good things grow from it naturally. That is sahaj, the easy calm of a settled heart.
Do you think grown-ups automatically feel more settled inside than kids? What makes someone feel calm within?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI