Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Loved ones are cared for tenderly, and songs of the good and true are sung.
Missing someone can feel as heavy as anything — that ache is real and deep.
And the ones who have truly learned to live and love find that even goodbyes are held in love.
Missing someone can feel very heavy. The song says even goodbyes can be held in love.
The verse shows how a loved one is cared for after death. The body is washed gently and dressed in soft cloth. Music plays, and sachee baanee-aa, the true sacred words, are sung. The family feels numb with sadness.
The grieving wife says being apart from her beloved feels like dying. Her life feels empty. The Guru lets her say it. Grief can feel that heavy, and it is real.
Then comes the turning line. Jeevat marai so jaanee-ai: the one who "dies while still alive" is the one who truly knows. This means letting the selfish part of us step aside while we are still living. Pir sachrhai hayt pi-aaray: such a person lives for love of the True Beloved. Think of a friend who moves far away, and the love that keeps going in every call and letter. A heart that has learned to love this way finds that even goodbyes are held in love.
It's okay for missing someone to feel heavy. Who can you share that heavy feeling with?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI