Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
The servant whom the One has freed from the chains of social rank —
who could ever put him back in bondage?
This verse is about being set free from rank and caste.
In Guru Arjan's time, society sorted people into jaat, castes, by birth. Some were told they were high. Some were told they were low. Jo la-udaa prabh kee-aa ajaat — the One has set this servant free from that ranking.
Tis la-uday ka-o kis kee taat — so who could ever chain that person again? The chains of rank, caste, and class that the world puts on people are broken by the One. No person can lock them back on. Other shabads in Aasaa say this too.
It is like a teacher tearing up a seating chart that put some kids at the back forever. Once it is torn, no one can use it again.
What labels or rankings do people let define them — and what would freedom from them feel like?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI