Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
When your heart feels heavy with things you're not proud of, don't just carry it alone.
Sit with good people, turn your mind toward the One — that's the only thing big enough to lift the weight off you.
This one is about carrying something heavy inside. The answer is not to hide.
Kirpan tan man kilvikh bharay — O miser, your body and mind are full of wrongs. A kirpan is a miser. Here it means more broadly someone weighed down, holding on to guilt. Guru Arjan speaks to that person with surprising gentleness. The answer isn't shame or punishing yourself. It is good company and remembering.
Saadhsang bhajan kar su-aamee — in good company, sing of the Master. Dhaakan ka-o ik haray — only the One can cover it. "Cover" is a gentle word. It means protect and forgive. It doesn't mean pretending the wrong never happened. It means the One's kindness is bigger than the list of our mistakes.
Think of breaking a window and hiding in your room all day. The hiding makes it heavier. Telling someone who loves you is where it starts to get lighter. The urge to hide guilt alone is exactly backwards. The healing comes from turning toward good people and the One together. This is the rahaa-o, the "pause" line — the center of the shabad.
When you've done something you regret, does hiding it make it lighter or heavier? What helps?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI