Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Just from hearing about You, everyone says You are great — but only someone who has actually seen You knows how great You really are.
No one can measure You or squeeze You into words. And the ones who do try to describe You get so lost in You that the describing falls away.
Saying the One is great because you heard it is easy. Really seeing it changes you.
Sun vadaa aakhai sabh ko-ee — everyone hears about You and calls You great. Kayvad vadaa deethaa ho-ee — but only someone who has seen You knows how great You are. Think of hearing that the ocean is big. Then you stand on the beach and look out at the water that never ends. Hearing and seeing are not the same thing. And seeing changes the one who sees.
The last line is the turning point. Kahnai vaalay tayray rahay samaa-ay — those who try to describe You get absorbed in You. They do not stop because they failed. They stop because they melt into what they were pointing at. Japji Sahib says the same: vadaa saahib vadee naa-ee, great is the Master, and great is the Name. No telling can reach that greatness.
What is the difference between knowing about something and actually meeting it?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI