Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Servant Nanak meditates on His Feet, and speaks the Ambrosial Word of the Bani.
This one gives the simplest answer to something huge: bow low, and sing.
This is the Rahao, the "pause" line. It is the center of the shabad. taa kay charan japai jan naanak — servant Nanak thinks on the One's Feet. bolay amrit banee — and speaks the sweet, life-giving Word.
The Feet stand for being humble. The Word is the gift the One gives. Together they hold all of devotion in one line. Guru Amar Das signs with the name Nanak, as every Guru does. It is one light, passed from lamp to lamp.
After the huge opening, with holy books inside an ocean, this line shows what a person can do. Think of standing under a sky full of stars. You cannot count them. But you can look up, feel small, and hum a song.
When something is too big to understand, what can you still do about it?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI