Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Applying yourself to the Guru's service, the mind becomes clean and peace arrives.
The Guru's Shabad settles into the mind, and ego dissolves from within.
The treasure of the Name is received, and the mind profits — not for a season, but always.
Gur kee sayvaa chaakree — the Guru's service (sayvaa) and sustained attendance (chaakree — literally service in a subordinate role, consistent orientation toward the Guru's teaching). The combination emphasizes continuity: not a single act of devotion but a sustained turning toward the Guru.
Gur kaa sabad man vasi-aa, haumai vichahu kho-ay — the Guru's Shabad abides within the mind (man vasi-aa — settled into the mind, made its home there), and ego is eliminated from within. The mechanism is subtle: the Shabad doesn't fight the ego. It settles in. And the ego, finding its space occupied, dissolves. The Shabad displaces the ego the way light displaces darkness — not by combat, but by presence.
Naam padaarath paa-i-aa, laabh sadaa man ho-ay — the Treasure of the Naam is obtained; the mind profits always. The profit (laabh) from the merchant metaphors throughout Siree Raag: this is the right trade. The Name obtained through the Guru's service yields profit that is sadaa (always, permanently) — not seasonal, not subject to the market's fluctuations. Unlike the wealth described in Shabad 109 (which was left behind at death), this profit stays.
What in your life has changed not by willpower but by something settling into you that changed what was there before?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI