Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
A fish out of water is desperate for the very thing it swims in every day. That is what it's like to live cut off from the One — thirsty for what is all around you.
So don't let your breath slip past empty, O my mind. Every breath is a chance to remember the One you are already swimming in.
This one uses a picture every child knows: a fish out of water.
Ji-o meenaa bin paanee-ai — like a fish without water. The saakat, someone turned away from the One, is like that fish: thirsty. Here's the twist. The water is everywhere. Turning away is the only thing that makes the thirst.
So a saakat isn't an enemy. It's someone who has forgotten what surrounds them. It's like being thirsty while standing in the rain with your eyes shut.
Birthaa jaavai saas — breath going by in vain. Guru Nanak isn't threatening here. He is nudging us. Each breath is a fresh chance to remember the One you already swim in.
When have you looked everywhere for something that turned out to be right beside you?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI