Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
O my mind, serve the True Guru.
God Himself gives His Grace. Do not forget Him, not even for a moment.
Sing the praises of the Lord every day. He takes away our faults.
Without the Lord's Name, there is no peace. I tried all kinds of big shows, and now I see this.
Those soaked in His praise, with ease, are saved. They cross the scary sea of the world.
The pause line, the Rahao, is the center of the shabad: O mind, serve the True Guru, and never forget the One.
Man mayray satgur sayvaa saar means O my mind, serving the True Guru is what matters most. Ik nimakh na manhu visaar means do not forget Him, even for a blink. The practice is to keep remembering, moment after moment.
Then Guru Arjan speaks from his own life. Bin har naam na sukh ho-ay kar dithay bisthaar means without the Lord's Name there is no peace. I tried all kinds of big shows, and I have seen it for myself. This matches what the whole of Siree Raag keeps teaching. Outward religious show does not bring peace.
Think of decorating a birthday cake with lots of icing when the cake inside is not baked. It looks grand, but it does not fill you up.
Gun govind nit gavee-ah avgun katanhaar means sing the praises of the One every day, who clears away our faults. Sehjay siftee rati-aa bhavjal utray paar means those soaked in praise, easily and naturally, cross the frightening ocean of life.
What have you tried — what practices, what strategies, what external changes — in search of peace? What worked, even partially? What didn't at all?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI