The Universe Moves in Reverence; the One Is Fearless
ਸਲੋਕ ਮਃ ੧ ॥
salok mehlaa 1.
Shalok, First Mehl:
ਭੈ ਵਿਚਿ ਪਵਣੁ ਵਹੈ ਸਦਵਾਉ ॥
bhai vich pavan vahai sadvaa-o.
In the Fear of God, the wind and breezes ever blow.
ਭੈ ਵਿਚਿ ਚਲਹਿ ਲਖ ਦਰੀਆਉ ॥
bhai vich chaleh lakhdaree-aa-o.
In the Fear of God, thousands of rivers flow.
ਭੈ ਵਿਚਿ ਅਗਨਿ ਕਢੈ ਵੇਗਾਰਿ ॥
bhai vich agan kadhai vaygaar.
In the Fear of God, fire is forced to labor.
ਭੈ ਵਿਚਿ ਧਰਤੀ ਦਬੀ ਭਾਰਿ ॥
bhai vich Dhartee dabee bhaar.
In the Fear of God, the earth is crushed under its burden.
ਭੈ ਵਿਚਿ ਇੰਦੁ ਫਿਰੈ ਸਿਰ ਭਾਰਿ ॥
bhai vich ind firai sir bhaar.
In the Fear of God, the clouds move across the sky.
ਭੈ ਵਿਚਿ ਰਾਜਾ ਧਰਮ ਦੁਆਰੁ ॥
bhai vich raajaa Dharam du-aar.
In the Fear of God, the Righteous Judge of Dharma stands at His Door.
ਭੈ ਵਿਚਿ ਸੂਰਜੁ ਭੈ ਵਿਚਿ ਚੰਦੁ ॥
bhai vich sooraj bhai vich chand.
In the Fear of God, the sun shines, and in the Fear of God, the moon reflects.
ਕੋਹ ਕਰੋੜੀ ਚਲਤ ਨ ਅੰਤੁ ॥
koh karorhee chalat na ant.
They travel millions of miles, endlessly.
ਭੈ ਵਿਚਿ ਸਿਧ ਬੁਧ ਸੁਰ ਨਾਥ ॥
bhai vich siDh buDh sur naath.
In the Fear of God, the Siddhas exist, as do the Buddhas, the demi-gods and Yogis.
ਭੈ ਵਿਚਿ ਆਡਾਣੇ ਆਕਾਸ ॥
bhai vich aadaanay aakaas.
In the Fear of God, the Akaashic ethers are stretched across the sky.
ਭੈ ਵਿਚਿ ਜੋਧ ਮਹਾਬਲ ਸੂਰ ॥
bhai vich joDh mahaabal soor.
In the Fear of God, the warriors and the most powerful heroes exist.
ਭੈ ਵਿਚਿ ਆਵਹਿ ਜਾਵਹਿ ਪੂਰ ॥
bhai vich aavahi jaaveh poor.
In the Fear of God, multitudes come and go.
ਸਗਲਿਆ ਭਉ ਲਿਖਿਆ ਸਿਰਿ ਲੇਖੁ ॥
sagli-aa bha-o likhi-aa sir laykh.
God has inscribed the Inscription of His Fear upon the heads of all.
ਨਾਨਕ ਨਿਰਭਉ ਨਿਰੰਕਾਰੁ ਸਚੁ ਏਕੁ ॥੧॥
naanak nirbha-o nirankaar sach ayk. ||1||
O Nanak, the Fearless Lord, the Formless Lord, the True Lord, is One. ||1||
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
In plain words
In deep reverence, the whole universe keeps its order. The wind blows, the rivers run, the sun and moon travel their endless miles.
All of it moves in awe of the One. That One alone is utterly fearless, without form, and beyond all the awe it holds everything in.
The whole universe moves in a kind of deep reverence — and the One at the center is utterly fearless, above it all.
The deeper layer
This is the Bhai shalok. Bhai is often translated "fear," but here it means deep, respectful awe, the awe that keeps everything in its right place.
Line by line, all of nature moves in that awe. Bhai vich pavan vahai — in awe the wind blows. In awe the rivers flow. Fire does its work. The earth carries its load. The sun and moon travel millions of miles. Holy people, heroes, and all who come and go live in it too.
It is a grand picture of a humming, ordered universe. Think of a huge orchestra, every player in time, all watching the same conductor.
And then the crown of it. Naanak nirbha-o nirankaar sach ayk — the Fearless One, the Formless One, the True One, is One. Everything is in awe of the One. The One is in awe of nothing, because there is nothing above the One.
To feel even a little of that awe is to sense the vast, ordered wonder you live inside.
A Question to Sit With
Have you ever felt small in a good way — full of awe at how vast and ordered the world is?
