Salok Sehskritee, Salok 1 — Truth Lives Inside
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
There is only One. Its Name is Truth. It is the Creator of all. It is fearless and full of love, beyond time, never born, shining on its own. And the One is found by the Guru's grace — a gift that is always here, waiting for an open heart.
You read the holy books, say your prayers and argue about them.
You bow to stones, and you sit still like a crane by the water, only pretending to meditate.
You tell lies, and dress them up to look beautiful.
You say your daily prayers three times a day.
Beads hang around your neck, and a holy mark shines on your forehead.
You wear two clean cloths, and you keep your head covered.
But if you knew the One and the ways of the One,
you would know that all these outside deeds and beliefs are empty.
Nanak says: remember the One with a steady, trusting heart.
Without the True Guru, no one finds the way.
Faith lives inside you, in a heart that trusts the One, and the show on the outside cannot take its place.
He lists the things people do to look holy. They study books to win arguments. They bow to stones. They sit very still like a crane by the water, which looks calm but is only waiting to catch a fish. They wear prayer beads, a tilak (a holy mark on the forehead), and special cloth.
Think of a kid who wears the full team kit but never comes to practice. The shirt is not the problem. The missing heart is. This is not aimed at any one faith. It is aimed at the habit, in all of us, of trusting the outside over the inside.
Then comes the turn. When you know the One, you see that the show alone is empty. Kaho naanak nischou Dhi-yaavai — says Nanak, remember the One with a steady heart. And a true Guru, a true guide, is the one who shows the way.
What is something you do on the outside that you could bring more of your heart to?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI