Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
O mortal — protect your crops. Otherwise the birds of ego and distraction will descend and consume them.
Guard the farm of your inner life carefully. Don't fall asleep to it.
The birds are real, the crops are real, the guard is necessary. This isn't metaphor — it's a description of how the mind actually works.
The kheti (farm, crop) metaphor: the spiritual practice, the inner life, the cultivation of the Name, is a crop. And it must be guarded. If left unguarded, the birds — the distractions, the ego-thoughts, the desires — descend and eat what has been cultivated.
Guru Amar Das uses agricultural imagery with facility: he lived in an agrarian society where the guarding of crops was a serious occupation. The image communicates urgency and practicality: the cultivation alone isn't enough. You must also guard.
What are the 'birds' that most reliably descend and eat what you're trying to cultivate in your inner life? What specific things distract you from what matters most?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI