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Sikhism·Raag Wadahans·Shabad 52
Verse 29 of 64

Without Wisdom to Steer By, Life Is Flavorless

ਸਲੋਕ ਮਃ ੩ ॥
salok mehlaa 3.
Shalok, Third Mehl:
ਬਿਨੁ ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਸੇਵੇ ਜੀਅ ਕੇ ਬੰਧਨਾ ਵਿਚਿ ਹਉਮੈ ਕਰਮ ਕਮਾਹਿ ॥
bin satgur sayvay jee-a kay banDhnaa vich ha-umai karam kamaahi.
Without serving the True Guru, the soul is in the bondage of deeds done in ego.
ਬਿਨੁ ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਸੇਵੇ ਠਉਰ ਨ ਪਾਵਹੀ ਮਰਿ ਜੰਮਹਿ ਆਵਹਿ ਜਾਹਿ ॥
bin satgur sayvay tha-ur na paavhee mar jameh aavahi jaahi.
Without serving the True Guru, one finds no place of rest; he dies, and is reincarnated, and continues coming and going.
ਬਿਨੁ ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਸੇਵੇ ਫਿਕਾ ਬੋਲਣਾ ਨਾਮੁ ਨ ਵਸੈ ਮਨ ਮਾਹਿ ॥
bin satgur sayvay fikaa bolnaa naam na vasai man maahi.
Without serving the True Guru, one's speech is vapid and insipid; the Naam, the Name of the Lord, does not abide in his mind.
ਨਾਨਕ ਬਿਨੁ ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਸੇਵੇ ਜਮ ਪੁਰਿ ਬਧੇ ਮਾਰੀਅਨਿ ਮੁਹਿ ਕਾਲੈ ਉਠਿ ਜਾਹਿ ॥੧॥
naanak bin satgur sayvay jam pur baDhay maaree-an muhi kaalai uth jaahi. ||1||
O Nanak, without serving the True Guru, they are bound and beaten in the City of Death; they arise and depart with blackened faces. ||1||

Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa

In plain words

Without any wisdom to steer by, life can feel restless and flavorless.

The words we speak go flat, and the heart never quite settles.

But wisdom gives life its flavor and the heart its rest.

Without wisdom to steer by, life feels restless and flavorless — wisdom gives back both flavor and rest.
The deeper layer

A warning-Shalok, softened per the wellbeing rules: without wisdom, deeds "bind," one finds "no rest," and "speech is vapid and insipid." The frightening "City of Death, blackened faces" imagery is dropped; the gentle kernel is kept — a life with no wisdom to steer by feels restless and flavorless, and wisdom restores both flavor and rest. For a child: without wisdom, life feels restless and flavorless — wisdom gives it back its flavor and rest.

A Question to Sit With

What gives your days 'flavor' and helps your heart rest?

Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI

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