man raam nahee jaataa saajh parbhataa avghat ruDhaa ki-aa karay.
The mortal does not know the Lord in the evening, or in the morning; trapped on the treacherous path, what will he do then?
ਬੰਧਨਿ ਬਾਧਿਆ ਇਨ ਬਿਧਿ ਛੂਟੈ ਗੁਰਮੁਖਿ ਸੇਵੈ ਨਰਹਰੇ ॥੧॥
banDhan baaDhi-aa in biDhchhootai gurmukh sayvai narharay. ||1||
Bound in bondage, he is released only by this method: as Gurmukh, serve the Lord. ||1||
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
In plain words
O my mind, come to your senses gently — there is no need to stay in a fog.
Set down the little faults you keep tripping over, and let yourself soak in what is good.
When I chase one flavor after another, I get scattered and end up feeling far from the One. Life can feel like a wide, rough sea — how do I cross?
Here is the way through: turn toward the teaching and let it lead you to serve the One. That untangles every knot.
Set down what trips you, soak in what’s good, and let the teaching carry you across.
The deeper layer
The whole chhant is addressed to man, the mind, with tender coaxing rather than scolding. The “world-ocean” and “path of death” are softened to the wide, rough sea of a scattered life; the way across is turning toward the teaching.
A Question to Sit With
What is one small thing you keep tripping over that you could gently set down?
