Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
O my mind, chant the Name with calm and ease.
All day and all night, think of God. Always sing the praises of the Lord of the world.
This is the pause line, the Rahao, the center of the song. It says: remember the One all day long, calmly and easily.
Man mayray sukh sahj saytee jap naa-o — O my mind, repeat the Name with sahj, calm, natural ease. Aath pahar parabh Dhi-aa-ay toon — keep God in mind aath pahar, the eight watches of the day, which means all twenty-four hours. Gun go-ind nit gaa-o — keep singing the praises of the Lord of the world.
Twenty-four hours sounds impossible. It would be, if it meant squeezing your brain hard all day. But that is not what it means. The key word is sahj, ease.
Think of how you breathe. You don't try to breathe. It just happens all day while you play, read and sleep. Or think of the love you feel for your family. It is there in the background even when you are busy with math.
That is the picture. Special times of prayer are in the front of the day. The Name is meant to be in the background of all of it, woven into everything.
Is there anything you are aware of continuously throughout your day — not consciously thinking about, but present in the background? What is it? What would it look like if the Name were that?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI