Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
The body burns down to ash. The mind, stuck on things that do not last, rusts right through.
Our faults turn into our enemies, and falsehood blows the bugle to attack.
Without the Word, people wander lost, again and again. Pulled two ways, crowds and crowds have drowned.
Guru Nanak says that when we cling to things that do not last, we slowly wear down inside.
He gives three pictures at once. Tan jal bal maatee bha-i-aa means the body burns down to ash, like fire. Man maa-i-aa mohi manoor means the mind, stuck on maya (the pull of things that do not last), rusts through, like metal left out in the rain. And our faults turn into enemies, like an army. Each picture shows a different way clinging to maya wears us down.
The army picture is urgent. Koor vajaavai toor means falsehood blows the bugle to attack. The habits that fool us do not wait politely. They come right at us.
Dubidhaa dobay poor means crowds and crowds have drowned from being pulled two ways. Dubidhaa means a split mind, loving the One and also loving the passing things. Think of trying to ride two bikes at once. This is not a new problem. People have fallen into it for as long as there have been people.
What do you spend most of your mental energy on? Does it feel like what you actually want to be investing in?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI