Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Those who meditate on the True Guru will not be burnt to ashes when the fire comes.
Those who meditate on the True Guru are satisfied and fulfilled — not always wanting more.
Those who meditate on the True Guru are not afraid of the Messenger of Death.
Those upon whom the Lord showers His Mercy fall at the Feet of the True Guru.
Here and hereafter, their faces are radiant. They go to the Lord's Court in robes of honor.
Four benefits of meditation on the True Guru
The Pauree lists four specific results of meditating on the True Guru — each addressing a fundamental fear or desire:
1. Not burnt to ashes (nahi jalat) — the fires of the world (anxiety, suffering, the "burning" of unfulfilled desire) do not consume those who meditate. The fire is real; the burning is what doesn't happen.
2. Satisfied and fulfilled (aghāne) — the perpetual hunger of the ego (always wanting more, always comparing, always dissatisfied) is stilled. Contentment as the fruit of meditation.
3. Not afraid of the Messenger of Death (jam dand nahi lāgai) — the fear of death, the fundamental anxiety of existence, does not apply. Not because death doesn't come but because what the Messenger of Death can take away has already been offered up.
4. Radiant in both worlds (*mukh ujle, har dar jā'in) — the radiance of the Gurmukh is not situational. It shows up here and hereafter.
Robes of honor
Har dar jā'in pati sion — "they go to the Lord's Court in robes of honor." The pati (honor, glory) with which they arrive at the Lord's Court is the same honor they carry through this life. The inward quality and the outward recognition coincide.
*Of the four things meditation on the True Guru provides — freedom from burning, contentment, fearlessness of death, radiance — which seems most valuable to you right now? Why?*
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI