mahalā 2.
haümai ehā jāti hai haümai karam kamāhi.
haümai eī bandhanā phiri phiri jonī pāhi.
haümai kithahu ūpajai kitu sañjami ih jāi.
haümai eho hukamu hai paiai kirti phirāhi.
haümai dīragh rogu hai dārū bhī isu māhi.
kirpā kare je āpaṇī tā gur ka sabadu kamāhi.
nānaku kahai suṇahu janahu itu sañjami dukh jāhi.2.
haümai ehā jāti hai haümai karam kamāhi.
haümai eī bandhanā phiri phiri jonī pāhi.
haümai kithahu ūpajai kitu sañjami ih jāi.
haümai eho hukamu hai paiai kirti phirāhi.
haümai dīragh rogu hai dārū bhī isu māhi.
kirpā kare je āpaṇī tā gur ka sabadu kamāhi.
nānaku kahai suṇahu janahu itu sañjami dukh jāhi.2.
mahalā 2. |
haümai ehā jāti hai haümai karam kamāhi. |
haümai eī bandhanā phiri phiri jonī pāhi. |
haümai kithahu ūpajai kitu sañjami ih jāi. |
haümai eho hukamu hai paiai kirti phirāhi. |
haümai dīragh rogu hai dārū bhī isu māhi. |
kirpā kare je āpaṇī tā gur ka sabadu kamāhi. |
nānaku kahai suṇahu janahu itu sañjami dukh jāhi.2. |

Guru Angad speaks about how things are born and where they are born from, saying that the genesis of creation, or the actual birth, is the I-ness itself, and in that birth of I-ness, we are all doing our deeds. This is important because the Guru is saying that it does not matter when or where we are born, but instead what we do once we have come into this world. What deeds are we doing? And what version or dimension of I-ness are we doing those deeds in?
The statement is repeated that whatever we see is happening in the Command. We ask rhetorical questions all the time about this I-ness, like where it came from and how to restrain it, but it is not that simple or easy to figure out. The Guru says that this I-ness is a disease that lasts a long time, but that the good news is that the remedy exists within it as well. Instead of seeing I-ness as a toxic ego or arrogance to eliminate, Guru Angad is grating I-ness as potential energy and says that how we use that energy is entirely up to us.
Guru Angad even gives us the remedy: when we earn the Wisdom, that is how we get rid of the pain and shift our sense of self into a larger sense of Self, our I-ness into 1-Ness. To earn the Wisdom, we must live it — it is not enough to just understand it.
The statement is repeated that whatever we see is happening in the Command. We ask rhetorical questions all the time about this I-ness, like where it came from and how to restrain it, but it is not that simple or easy to figure out. The Guru says that this I-ness is a disease that lasts a long time, but that the good news is that the remedy exists within it as well. Instead of seeing I-ness as a toxic ego or arrogance to eliminate, Guru Angad is grating I-ness as potential energy and says that how we use that energy is entirely up to us.
Guru Angad even gives us the remedy: when we earn the Wisdom, that is how we get rid of the pain and shift our sense of self into a larger sense of Self, our I-ness into 1-Ness. To earn the Wisdom, we must live it — it is not enough to just understand it.
All of creation is because of I-ness; under the influence of I-ness, beings perform good or bad deeds.
Under the influence of I-ness, beings are caught in material entanglements; under the influence of ego, beings wander in the cycle of birth and death, again and again.
Where does this ego originate from, and how can it be overcome?
The Command itself is the source of I-ness. According to the inscribed Writ, beings are made to wander in the cycle of birth and death.
I-ness is a chronic disease, but its remedy is also within it.
If IkOankar bestows Own grace, only then do the beings practice the Wisdom’s (Guru’s) Word (Sabad) in their lives.
Nanak says, O people, listen! Through this discipline, all sufferings, including I-ness, are removed.
Under the influence of I-ness, beings are caught in material entanglements; under the influence of ego, beings wander in the cycle of birth and death, again and again.
Where does this ego originate from, and how can it be overcome?
The Command itself is the source of I-ness. According to the inscribed Writ, beings are made to wander in the cycle of birth and death.
I-ness is a chronic disease, but its remedy is also within it.
If IkOankar bestows Own grace, only then do the beings practice the Wisdom’s (Guru’s) Word (Sabad) in their lives.
Nanak says, O people, listen! Through this discipline, all sufferings, including I-ness, are removed.
Because of ego is genesis; under the influence of ego (humans) perform actions.
Under the influence of ego itself are these bonds; (under the influence of ego alone, beings) fall in the cycle of birth and death, time and again.
Where does ego originate from? Through which method can it be overcome?
This ego, is (nothing but) Command; according to the inscribed Writ, (beings) are made to wander.
Ego is a chronic disease; (but its) cure is also within it.
If (IkOankar) bestows Own grace, then (the beings) practice the Guru’s Sabad.
Nanak says, listen, O people! Through this discipline sufferings (like ego) go away.
Under the influence of ego itself are these bonds; (under the influence of ego alone, beings) fall in the cycle of birth and death, time and again.
Where does ego originate from? Through which method can it be overcome?
This ego, is (nothing but) Command; according to the inscribed Writ, (beings) are made to wander.
Ego is a chronic disease; (but its) cure is also within it.
If (IkOankar) bestows Own grace, then (the beings) practice the Guru’s Sabad.
Nanak says, listen, O people! Through this discipline sufferings (like ego) go away.
With the repeated usage of word ‘haümai’ (ego) uttered by the second sovereign, ‘parallelism’ has been beautifully evoked in this salok. Since, this word appears at the beginning and the middle of the first line, there is lexical parallelism in the beginning and the middle. In the second, third, fourth and fifth line, this word has been used only in the beginning of the line, hence there is lexical parallelism in the beginning. Thus, through the repeated use of the word ‘haümai,’ different attributes of ego have been described.
Even though the word ‘haümai’ does not appear in the sixth and the seventh line, but indirectly, it is present throughout, since the last lines only clarify the way to eliminate ego.
This is called discourse deflection. In the fifth conclusive line ‘haümai dīragh rogu hai dārū bhī isu māhi’ (ego is a chronic disease; but its cure is also within it) metaphor present. Here ‘haümai’ (ego) is subject (upmey) and ‘diragh rogu’ (chronic disease) is the compared object (upmān). In this, upmey (subject) and upmān (compared object) have been considered to be one. Similarly, for the removal of a disease like ‘haümai’ (ego), ‘dārū’ (cure) has been used as upmān (compared object).
Even though the word ‘haümai’ does not appear in the sixth and the seventh line, but indirectly, it is present throughout, since the last lines only clarify the way to eliminate ego.
This is called discourse deflection. In the fifth conclusive line ‘haümai dīragh rogu hai dārū bhī isu māhi’ (ego is a chronic disease; but its cure is also within it) metaphor present. Here ‘haümai’ (ego) is subject (upmey) and ‘diragh rogu’ (chronic disease) is the compared object (upmān). In this, upmey (subject) and upmān (compared object) have been considered to be one. Similarly, for the removal of a disease like ‘haümai’ (ego), ‘dārū’ (cure) has been used as upmān (compared object).