Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Craving, anger, greed, clinging - may they loosen and go. And the me-first illusion with them.
Nanak says: I take shelter in the One. Divine Guru, pour your grace on me.
The loud voices inside can go quiet when you ask the One for shelter.
This salok, a short opening verse, names five troubles of the mind. Kaam is craving. Krodh is anger. Lobh is greed. Moh is clinging. And ahamayv, or haumai, is the "me first" self. Together they are called the panj vikaar, the five distortions of the mind.
Look at how the prayer is shaped. "May these be gone" is a request, not a boast. Guru Arjan does not claim to beat the five by his own strength. He asks for sarnaagatee, shelter in the One, and for grace.
That one prayer holds the whole ashtapadee, this group of eight verses, in a nutshell. The eight verses will walk through every comfort of a life: food, clothes, bed, family, body, status. Over each one they hang the same words: jih parsaad, by the One's grace.
Think of a new bike. The greedy voice says, "Mine!" The thankful voice says, "What a gift!" What the five troubles grab as "mine," thankfulness sees as "given."
Which of the five - wanting, anger, greed, clinging, pride - is loudest in you this week?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI