Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
O Beloved, how can I even describe this strange trick of the mind?
Things are simply not the way they appear to be, what we are so sure of turns out to be otherwise.
Things are not the way they seem, and Ravidas can only shake his head in wonder.
This is the rahaa-o, the "pause" line, the center of the shabad. Maadhvay ki-aa kahee-ai bharam aisaa — O Lord, what can I say about such an illusion? Bharam is a trick of the mind. It makes us see separation where there is really Oneness, and makes us trust how things look over how things are.
Jaisaa maanee-ai ho-ay na taisaa — it is not the way we believe it to be. Think of a magic trick. You were sure the coin was in the right hand, and it was not.
Ravidas does not scold the mind for being fooled. He marvels at it. That wonder is the doorway out. In the next verses he gives examples of how the eyes get fooled.
Can you remember a time you were completely sure of something, and then found out you were wrong?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI