Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
It all worked out. I was saved, and the ego inside my heart was tamed.
The bad forces inside me have been made to serve me, since I put my trust in the True Guru.
I have given up my useless schemes, by the grace of the True One, who has no worries.
This one is a happy report: it worked, and the ego inside was tamed.
Haumai mu-ee gharaahu — the ego in my heart was brought down. Haumai is the me-first feeling. It wasn't wiped out. Gurbani doesn't ask us to destroy the self. It was tamed, put under the care of something bigger.
Doot lagay fir chaakree — the bad forces now work for me. Inside us are what the Gurus call the five thieves: lust, anger, greed, clinging and pride. Here they aren't just held down. They are turned around and made useful.
Think of a wild river. Fight it, and it floods. Dig it a new channel, and it turns a mill wheel and grinds flour.
That is why trying to fix yourself by willpower alone often fails. It fights the energy head-on. Gurbani offers another way. When your trust turns toward the True Guru, the energy itself changes. Kalap tiaagee baad hai — I dropped my useless schemes, by the grace of the carefree True One.
Have you ever tried really hard to change something about yourself through willpower — and failed? Did it ever change anyway, in a different way?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI