Sikhism·Raag Aasaa·Shabad 277
Verse 4 of 9

The Beyond Is Reached by Good Company and a Song

ਸੰਤ ਜਨਾ ਕਉ ਮਿਲਿ ਰਹੈ ਧਨੁ ਧਨੁ ਜਸੁ ਗਾਏ ॥
sant janaa ka-o mil rahai Dhan Dhan jas gaa-ay.
Joining the humble Saintly beings, let us sing the blessed, blessed Praises of the Lord.
ਆਦਿ ਪੁਰਖੁ ਅਪਰੰਪਰਾ ਗੁਰਮੁਖਿ ਹਰਿ ਪਾਏ ॥੩॥
aad purakh apramparaa gurmukh har paa-ay. ||3||
The Primal Lord, the Infinite, is obtained by the Gurmukh. ||3||

Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa

In plain words

Stay joined with the humble Saints, and sing — blessed, blessed — His Praises.

The Primal One, the Infinite, beyond all limits, is found by the one turned Guru-ward.

The beyond-the-beyond is reached by the humblest technology: good company and a song.
The deeper layer

The practice-verse: keep the company, sing the Praise. Mil rahai — remain joined — is the operative instruction: not visits to the Sangat but residence in it, since the fire stays lit only in the pile of coals. And the reach of the second line is deliberately staggering: aad purakh, aprampara — the Primal, the beyond-the-beyond — obtained by ordinary people singing together. The infinite is not scaled by expeditions; it is reached by the lowest technology on earth: humble company and a song.

A Question to Sit With

Who do you sing with — literally or otherwise — and what does the company make possible?

Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI

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