Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
The day of departure is near. Gather the provisions for the journey.
Your body and mind will go to dust. Why are you so proud?
The provisions you need are truth and contentment and the Name of the Lord.
Kooch kar (the departure is near) — the day of leaving is approaching. In the merchant-journey metaphor, this is the moment when the merchant realizes the market is closing and they have not yet made the trades they came to make.
"Body and mind will go to dust" — eh tan maat (this body goes to the earth) — both body and mind are subject to the dissolution that pride denies. The proud person acts as if they are not subject to this; they are.
The provisions: sach santokhh (truth and contentment). The journey's supplies are virtues, not objects.
What are you carrying into your life that is genuinely useful for the journey? And what are you carrying that will be left behind?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI