Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
The mind wanders off in every direction, dizzy with wanting, chasing the taste of 'more.' The One has let it lose its way.
It won't sit still even for a moment to listen for something deeper, or to keep good company. It gets excited over things that fade fast — and over what belongs to other people.
This one is about a mind that can't sit still. Guru Arjan isn't making fun of it. He names the problem the way a doctor names an illness, so it can be treated.
Dhaa-i-o ray man dah dis Dhaa-i-o — the mind runs, running off in all ten directions. This is the rahaa-o, the "pause" line. It is the center of the whole shabad.
The picture he uses is the kasumbh, the safflower. It gives a bright dye that fades fast. It's all shine and no lasting color. Think of a new game everyone wants for one week and then forgets. The restless mind keeps grabbing things just like that. The verse also names looking at another man's wife. Plainly, that is wanting what is not yours.
Under all of it runs one engine: lobh, greed. Greed is the taste of "more." It never lets the mind rest where it already is.
What's something that looked exciting but faded almost as soon as you got it?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI