Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
You look at the tiny bodies of your children, and love wells up in your heart. You are proud of them, but you do not understand.
You long for the honor of a long life, but your eyes can no longer see.
Your light has gone out, and the bird of your mind has flown away. You are no longer welcome in your own home and courtyard.
Says Baynee: listen, O devotee. Who has ever found freedom after a death like that?
This one says: wake up now, while there is still time.
This verse is about the end of a long life. An old person looks at the small faces of the children, and love wells up. It is real love. Baynee does not deny that. But he says they do not fully understand. Their eyes can hardly see, and they still wish for a long life.
Udi-aa man pankhee: "the bird of the mind has flown away." This is a beautiful picture in Gurbani. The mind is like a bird. It can fly up toward the One, or it can be kept in the cage of Maya. At the end of life, the bird flies off. Then the question becomes very real.
Baynee kahai sunhu ray bhagtahu maran mukat kin paa-ee: "Says Baynee, listen, O devotees: who has found freedom after a death like this?" It is a question, not a curse. He is not saying anyone is doomed. He is asking kindly: has sleeping through life ever worked for anyone? The love for the children at the end is tender, because it is real. It is not ugly. But love for the world alone, without love for the One, still points the wrong way at the moment of leaving. Think of a school trip. It is good to enjoy the ride, but it helps to know where you are going. Remember the One now, while the ride is still going.
If Baynee is asking you this question right now — has anyone gained true freedom by living on autopilot? — what does your honest answer feel like?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI