Seeing This World on Fire, I Ran to the Guru's Sanctuary
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Seeing this world on fire, I rushed straight to the Sanctuary of the True Guru.
The True Guru planted the Truth within me. I now dwell steadfastly in Truth and self-restraint.
The True Guru is the Boat of Truth. In the Word of the Shabad, we cross over the terrifying world-ocean.
Jag jalan-taa dekh kai, bhajay satgur sharan — seeing (dekh kai — having seen) this world on fire (jag jalan-taa — the world burning, the world ablaze), I ran (bhajay — ran, fled) to the Sanctuary of the True Guru (satgur sharan). The personal testimony — among the most direct first-person statements in the Mehl 3 ashtapadees. The speaker is not describing others or teaching in the abstract; the speaker has seen the world burning and ran. The burning world: the suffering, the impermanence, the anxiety, the craving and loss that characterize ordinary life under Maya. Seeing that clearly, the only response is to run to the Guru.
Satgur saach vasaa-i-aa, sach santokh antar raam — the True Guru planted (vasaa-i-aa — caused to dwell, implanted) the Truth (saach) within; now I dwell in Truth and contentment (santokh — contentment, satisfaction) within. Santokh — the Punjabi virtue of contentment, the satisfaction that does not require more than what is. The Guru plants Truth; Truth produces contentment; contentment is the inner dwelling.
Satgur sachee naa-o hai, sabad tarai bhavsataar — the True Guru is the True Boat (sachee naa-o — the true vessel, the true ship); through the Shabad, we cross over the terrible world-ocean (bhavsataar — the ocean of existence, the terrifying crossing). The bhav sagar teaching that runs through the entire ashtapadee batch — the terrifying crossing that the Guru makes possible. Now named: the Guru is the sachee naa-o, the True Boat. In the Shabad, we cross.
What was the moment you recognized that something was not working — in your life, your relationships, your inner life — and you turned toward something truer? What did you turn toward?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI