Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
O my mind, freedom is found in the shelter of good company.
Without the perfect teaching, the restless circling doesn't stop.
What people call the fog of doubt — the whole world gets tangled in it.
But the one whose heart is truly full stays free and unentangled through it all.
This one says: real freedom is moving through the world without being owned by it.
This is the Rahao, the "pause" line at the center of the shabad. Mayray man saaDh saran chhutkaaraa: O my mind, freedom is found in the shelter of good people. SaaDh means the good and holy.
Without the perfect Guru, the teacher, life goes round and round: fir aavat baaro baaraa, coming again and again. Here that points to the restless circling of an unsettled life, like a hamster on a wheel.
Bharam bhulaavaa, the fog of doubt, catches the whole world. Yet the pooran bhagat, the one whose heart is full of love, stays ni-aaraa, untangled. That person does not escape the world. They live right in it. They simply aren't owned by it, the way you can use your phone without letting it use you.
What is something that easily tangles you up — and what helps you stay free of it?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI