Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
There are so many stubborn-minded intelligent people. There are so many who have studied all the scriptures.
There are so many entanglements for the soul — trap after trap. Only as Gurmukh do we find the Gate of Liberation.
Truth is higher than everything. But higher still is truthful living.
Guru Nanak says truth is the highest thing, and living truthfully is higher still.
Manhath budhee kaytee-aa means there are so many clever people who are stubborn in their own minds. Kaytay bayd beechaar means so many who think deeply about the Vedas, the old holy books of India. Guru Nanak does not throw away brains or study. He shows where they stop. A clever, stubborn person who has read every book can still be searching, still tangled up.
Kaytay bandhan jee-a kay means there are so many traps for the soul. Gurmukh mokh du-aar means only by facing the Guru do we find the door to freedom. A door is a helpful picture. It is really there, and you can walk through it. But finding it takes the gurmukh's way of facing: toward the Guru, not toward the ego.
Sachahu orai sabh ko upar sach aachaar means everything is below truth, but higher still is truthful living. Many people love this line of Siree Raag. Truth as an idea is high. Truth lived out every day, in how you actually act, is higher. Not only knowing what is true, but living it in every action.
Think of knowing all the rules of soccer versus actually playing fair in the game. The second one is what counts.
What is the gap in your life between what you believe is true and how you actually live — and what would it take to close it?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI