Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Without the good fortune of destiny, the True Guru is not found — even though He sits within the home of your own inner being, always near and close at hand.
There is ignorance within, and the pain of doubt — like a separating screen.
Without meeting with the True Guru, no one is transformed into gold. The self-willed person sinks like iron — while the boat is very close.
The agonizing nearness: the True Guru dwells within the antar ghar (inner home) and is sadaa naale (always near and close) — and yet without destiny (bhaag), the meeting does not happen. The purdah (screen, curtain) of ignorance and doubt stands between the seeker and what is already present.
The iron-that-sinks versus the boat metaphor: iron and wood both go in the same water. One sinks, one floats. The difference is not the water — it is the nature of the substance. The self-willed manmukh is iron; the Gurmukh in the boat of the Naam floats. And the boat is right there (paas) — very close — even as the iron sinks.
Is there something you suspect is already within reach — already present in some form — but a screen of doubt or ignorance keeps you from recognizing it? What is the screen?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI