Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
The mind finds its comfort in the Name — the one companion who never leaves.
I bow at the feet of my teacher, so grateful, because the teaching gave me true understanding — the kind that finally makes sense of everything.
Without it, a person leans all their love on things that fade, gets tangled in arguments, and stays so dazzled by passing wealth that they never taste the Name. Their harsh words and their attention never quite meet the deeper song. That is how a heart loses its shine.
When the mind says yes to the One, it finds that the Name is a friend who never leaves.
This is the rahaa-o line, the "pause" line, the center of the shabad. Man maani-aa naam sakhaa-ee — "the mind, once it accepts, finds the Name its companion." Maani-aa means accepting, lining up inside with what is true. Sakhaa-ee is a tender word for a close friend. So the Name is not a rule. It is a friend. Paa-ay para-o gur kai balihaarai — Guru Nanak bows at the Guru's feet, full of thanks for the true understanding the Guru gave.
The second half turns dark. It describes the manmukh, the person facing only their own wants. Their love leans on things that fade. Jan si-o vaad rachaa-ee — they pick fights with good people. Maa-i-aa magan — they are dazzled by maa-i-aa, the shiny pull of money and things. The verse calls that pull a poison. Their harsh talk never meets the Shabad, the Guru's Word, and so the heart loses its shine.
Think of a phone full of games but with no charger. It lights up for a while, then goes dark. The Name is the charger.
What is one friend or comfort that helps you feel less alone when things are hard?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI