Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Serving the Guru, I have come to understand myself.
The sweet Name, the Giver of peace, lives in my mind.
Night and day, I am soaked in the Word and in the Name.
Guru Nanak says that serving the Guru helps you understand yourself at last.
Gur sayvaa tay aap pachhaataa — serving the Guru, I came to know myself. Then the Name, sweet as amrit, the nectar of life, came to live in the mind. It brings peace.
It sounds surprising. You might think you learn about yourself by looking only at yourself. But serving the Guru turns you toward what is true, and in that light you see yourself clearly. Think of helping out at a community kitchen and finding out you are more patient than you knew.
Another shabad says it too. To serve the Guru is, in the end, to come home to yourself.
What have you understood about yourself by serving something greater?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI