Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
I'd gladly wash the teacher's feet and serve — I give my whole mind as the gift.
Let go of showing off, of the sourness and the me-first pride, and make peace with whatever comes.
This one says that letting go of pride and making peace with life are really one move.
The verse starts with deep humility. Charan pakhaar kara-o gur sayvaa — I wash the Guru's feet and serve. Maneh charaava-o bhog — I offer my own mind as the gift.
Then comes a practical instruction. Chhod aapat baad ahankaaraa — let go of showing off, of sour arguing, and of pride. Maan so-ee jo hog — accept whatever comes to pass.
Serving here doesn't mean making yourself disappear. It means letting go of the grabbing, comparing part of you that keeps you tense. Think of a player who stops arguing with the referee and just plays the next point. They get calmer and better at once.
Guru Arjan links two steps that always go together in this tradition: lowering your ego, and accepting what is real. You can't really do one without the other.
Why might dropping the need to show off make it easier to accept things you can't change?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI