Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
The glad soul-bride who reaches her Beloved is so much better off than I am.
I have none of her virtues — so whom can I blame?
Here Nanak looks at himself with plain honesty.
Kant lee-aa sohaaganee — the happy bride has reached her Beloved. Nanak says she is far better than he is. Say gun mujhai na aavnee — I have none of her good qualities. Kai jee dos Dharayh — so whom can I blame?
This is not hating himself. It is honesty without excuses. He doesn't blame luck or other people for the state of his own heart. Think of missing the school bus. You could blame the driver, the clock or your little brother. Or you could say, "I left late," and set an earlier alarm.
Owning it is the door out. It stops the hunt for someone to blame and turns the heart to what it can do.
Where might dropping the search for someone to blame free you to actually change something?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI