Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Some made it home, and their relatives ran to them, asking: are you safe?
For others it was written that they would sit and cry out in their pain.
Whatever pleases Him comes to pass. O Nanak, what is the fate of human beings?
This one is about how, sometimes, the most honest prayer is a question.
Ik ghar aavahi aapnai ik mil mil puchheh sukh — some made it home, and their families hugged them and asked, "Are you safe?" For others, bahi bahi roveh dukh — they sat and cried in pain.
The hymn ends with a question, not an answer. Jo tis bhaavai so thee-ai naanak ki-aa maanukh — whatever pleases the One happens. Nanak asks, what are we humans, really?
After everything in this hymn, Guru Nanak does not tie it up neatly. He leaves the question standing before the One. That honesty is the lesson.
A faith that must pretend to understand everything breaks easily. A faith that can bring a hard question to the One, and stay, is strong. It lasts through anything. Think of a tree with deep roots. The wind can shake its branches, but it stays standing.
"Sach," truth, includes being honest when we don't know.
Do you think God minds being asked hard questions?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI