Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Meeting with the True Guru, you shall not have to go through the cycle of reincarnation again. The pains of birth and death are removed.
Through the Perfect Word of the Shabad, all understanding is obtained.
Remain absorbed in the Name of the Lord.
This one says that meeting the True Guru ends the long round of coming and going.
Satgur mili-ai fayr na pavai: "Meeting the True Guru, you don't have to go round again." Many people in Guru Nanak's world believed a soul is born again and again, life after life. The verse adds, janam maran dukh jaa-ay: "the pain of birth and death goes away."
Notice what the Guru does here. It's more than making life a bit nicer or raising your rank. The Guru solves the biggest problem: the endless circle itself.
How? Poorai sabad sabh sojhee ho-ee: "through the perfect Word, all understanding comes." The Shabad, the Guru's Word, is called poorai, full and whole. It leaves nothing out.
It works in steps. The full Word brings understanding. Understanding brings you into the Name.
Har naamai rahai samaa-ay: "you stay soaked in the Name." Think of a sponge in warm water. It doesn't just touch the water. It stays in and fills up. That is what staying in the Name is like.
What is the single biggest change you have noticed in yourself since you started paying attention to your spiritual life — and how does it relate to the quality of your daily peace?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI