Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
The God-aware person lives in the world without being owned by it - like the lotus, growing in water, never soaked by it.
Untouched by grime - like the sun, warming everything it shines on, dirtied by none of it.
Seeing everyone with the same eyes - like the wind, blowing the same on a king and a beggar.
Patient like the earth - which one person digs at and another anoints with perfume, and it holds them both.
Nanak says: this is their nature - warm all the way through, like a fire on a cold night.
The God-aware person learns from nature: the lotus, the sun, the wind, the earth and fire.
The choice of teachers is part of the lesson. Nature is the classroom. Each picture shows something that is hard for people to do.
The lotus. Jaisay jal meh kamal alayp — like a lotus that grows in water and stays dry. You can live fully in the world, with family and work, and not be soaked by it. This is the grihast way, the life of a householder.
The sun. It warms everything and is dirtied by none of it. It gives without running out and without picking favorites.
The wind. Jaisay raaj rank ka-o laagai tul pavaan — the wind blows the same on a king and a beggar. It is fair without even trying.
The earth. One person digs into it. Another rubs it with sweet sandalwood. It holds both the same way. In Japji Sahib, Guru Nanak calls the earth a place for practicing right living. Here that patience becomes a person's own.
The fire. Naanak ji-o paavak kaa sahj subhaa-o — warmth is simply its nature. Like a campfire on a cold night, it warms without showing off.
Here is the quiet point. These are not five hard lessons to practice. They are one nature that shows up when the ego melts away. The elements never had an ego to get past.
Pick one: lotus, sun, wind, earth, or fire. Which quality do you most need this year - and what would practicing it look like?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI