Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
They have made this their resting place — they sit at home and settle in.
But the urge to depart is always there.
This would only be a lasting place of rest if they could stay here forever and never change.
This line says: we settle into this world like it is our forever home, but everyone moves on someday.
Mukaam kar ghar baisnaa: people make this their mukaam, their resting place, and sit at home. They arrange things and fix them up, again and again. Nit chalnai kee dhokh: yet the pull to move on is always there.
Think of a hotel room on a trip. You unpack, put your toothbrush by the sink, and it starts to feel like yours. But you know checkout day is coming.
Mukaam taa par jaanee-ai: you could only call it a true resting place jaa rahai nihchal lok, if people stayed nihchal, steady and unchanging.
That is the test: does it stay? Houses get old. Families grow and change. The world keeps moving. So by this test, this world is a stop along the way, not the final home.
This is not because the world is bad. It is good and worth loving. It just doesn't stay the same. The rest of this song opens that thought wider and wider. It ends by pointing to the One who never changes.
Where do you feel most at home in the world — and how do you hold that knowing it can change?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI