Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
It doesn't remember the Name, doesn't give to others, doesn't clean itself out on the inside.
It won't sing even for a moment. Holding tight to a pile of little lies, it can't make itself happy, and it never gets to know who it really is.
This one says the small lies we hold onto keep us from knowing ourselves.
The verse names three things the scattered mind skips. Naam is remembering the Name. Daan is giving to others. Isnaan is washing — here it means cleaning out the inside. Together they mean staying connected, being generous, and keeping your heart clean. The tradition often puts these three side by side.
Then comes the quiet, hard line. Naanaa jhooth laa-ay — holding on to many lies — the mind can't be truly happy. Nah boojhi-o apnaa-i-o — it never understands its own self. All that running around outside has one cost inside: you never get to meet yourself.
The Gurus speak often about knowing yourself. What blocks it isn't a lack of smarts. It's the small untruths we keep defending. It's like a messy room behind a closed door. As long as you keep saying "it's fine," you never get to see what's in there.
Why do you think holding onto small untruths makes it harder to really know yourself?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI