Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
You may have a body free of disease and deformity, and have no worries or grief at all.
You may be unmindful of death, and night and day revel in pleasures.
You may take everything as your own, and have no fear in your mind at all.
But still — if you do not come to remember the Supreme Lord God — you shall fall under the power of the Messenger of Death.
This one says that even when life feels perfectly fine, it is still time to remember the One.
This last good-times verse is maybe the most tender. It is not about power or riches or goodness. It is about health. Kaa-i-aa rog na chhidar kichh: a body with no sickness and no flaw. No worry and no sadness. Mirat na aavee chit: death never crosses their mind, because it does not seem near. They enjoy themselves night and day. Everything feels like theirs, and they have no fear at all. Life is going so well that the question of the One never comes up.
Jamkankar vas pari-aa: they fall under the power of the Messenger of Death. This is a picture that shows up again and again in these songs. It stands for the end that comes to everyone. The healthy, fearless, happy person who never thought of the One reaches that end just as surely as the powerful king and the good man.
Chit na aa-i-o paarbarahm: again, "the One did not come to mind." Their only mistake is not thinking about it. It is not anger and not rebellion. Life is so pleasant that the question just does not arise. This may be the quietest and most common picture of all. It is not about the wrongdoer, the showy believer, or the proud ruler. It is about someone who feels fine and so never looks further. Think of a sunny day when you forget your umbrella because the sky looks clear. Remembering the One is not only for rainy days.
What would make a person who has everything — health, pleasure, no fear — stop to think about what they might be missing? What would it take for that person to turn toward something deeper?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI