Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Those who turn their faces away from the True Teacher shall have their faces blackened.
Night and day, they suffer in pain. They see the noose of Death always hovering above them.
Even in their dreams, they find no peace. They are consumed by the fires of intense anxiety.
This one shows the other side: what happens when someone turns away from the Guru.
Satgur tay jo muh fayreh mathay tin kaalay: those who turn their faces from the True Guru have darkened foreheads. The gurmukh's face shines. The face of the manmukh, someone who follows only their own "me," grows dark. The picture means inner shame. It's also simply true: when someone is eaten up by worry and hurt, you can see it on their face.
Nit johay jam jaalay: they always feel death's trap hanging near. This is the deep fear of life ending. Without the Name, that fear has no answer. The manmukh sees it all the time. The gurmukh has been set free from staring at it.
Supnai sukh na daykhnee: even in dreams they find no rest, baho chintaa parjaalay, burned up by worry. Think of a phone with a hundred alerts buzzing at once. There is no quiet anywhere. The Name is what turns that noise down.
Is there something you've turned away from — a practice, a truth, a community — and can feel the turning, even when you try not to? What would it take to turn back?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI