Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
O Siblings of Destiny — without the True Teacher, pilgrimage to sacred shrines does not remove the ego-filth.
Without the Shabad, no one is purified — only through the True Name is purity obtained.
Travel is not transformation. The Shabad is.
The rahao is one of Guru Amar Das's most pointed teachings on tirth (sacred pilgrimage sites). In his day, pilgrimage was the most prestigious form of religious practice: traveling to the Ganges, to Prayag, to Kashi, to perform sacred bathing and rites.
He says: without the Guru, not even at the most sacred shrines is the ego-filth removed. Not because the sites are invalid but because they don't address what actually needs addressing. The Tirtha (sacred ford) that actually crosses you over is the Shabad.
What kinds of external changes — in environment, in circumstance, in location — have you hoped would change how you felt inside? Did they? What does actually change things?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI