The Stone Doesn't Learn to Float; It's Loaded Aboard
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
As pillars hold up a palace, the Guru's Word holds up the mind.
As a stone loaded in a boat crosses the river, a person carried by wisdom's feet crosses over.
As a lamp lights a dark room, the mind blossoms at the sight of the Guru. As a path is found through the great wilderness, light breaks in good company.
For the dust of the feet of such souls - this is my one longing. Fulfill it.
The mind needs something to hold it up, and the Guru gives it.
Four pictures come from ordinary life: a building, a ferry, a lamp, and a road.
The pillar. Ji-o mandar ka-o thaamai thamman — as pillars hold up a palace. Gur kaa sabad, the Guru's Word, holds up the mind the same way. Take it away, and even a grand mind starts to sag.
The boat. Ji-o paakhaan naav charh tarai — as a stone loaded on a boat crosses the river. The stone does not learn to float. It does not get lighter. No one lectures it about being heavy. It is simply put in the boat, and it crosses. That is grace: a ferry for those who cannot swim. Earlier in Sukhmani, stones were said to float. Here we see how.
The lamp. Darkness is not fought or argued with. One small flame, and it is gone at once.
The road. Someone lost in a wild forest does not need the whole map. They need the next stretch of path. Joining the saaDhsang, the company of good people, keeps that path showing up under your feet.
Four pictures, one teaching: the mind was never meant to hold itself up.
Which do you need most right now: a pillar, a boat, a lamp, or a path? Who or what could be that for you?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI