Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
The Banker opened an account for you with endless capital - and you have been spending it with joy your whole life.
If the Banker calls some of the loan back, the foolish borrower throws a fit.
Doing that, he shreds his own credit - who would trust him with more?
Offer back freely what belonged to the One all along, and accept the flow of the Order gladly - and joy returns to you four times over. Nanak says: the Master's mercy never runs out.
Everything you have is a loan from a kind Banker.
Agnat saahu apnee day raas — the Banker gives endless capital. Saahu is a banker, and raas is the money lent to trade with. Guru Arjan uses this picture of God as the Banker in other shabads too, like those in Raag Aasaa. The capital is everything: breath, body, family, years.
Khaat peet bartai anad ulaas — the person eats, drinks, and spends it with joy. That part is fine. The verse approves of the enjoying. The mistake comes later. The Banker takes some of the loan back, and the borrower throws a tantrum. That shows he had started to think the loan was his own.
Apnee parteet aap hee khovai — he ruins his own trust. When sadness turns into a grudge against the Giver, it spoils the very account it misses. Think of borrowing a friend's bike, then shouting at her when she needs it back. Next time, she may not lend it.
The other way is precise. Jis kee basat tis aagai raakhai — give back to the Owner what belongs to the Owner, willingly. Then the Banker, who never owed anything, makes that person happy four times over. A loss met with trust becomes the deepest deposit of all.
When you lose something you loved, what changes if you remember it was borrowed, not owned?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI