Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
He Himself does, and He Himself causes all doing.
He Himself settles the Name in the Gurmukh's mind.
He Himself lets us wander; He Himself sets us on the Path.
Through the True Word, we merge into the True One.
Everything happens inside the One's hand, even the times we get lost.
Four lines, and the word aap — Himself — rings through all of them like a bell. He does. He makes others do. He places the Name in the Gurmukh, the one who faces the Guru. Every step of the inner life traces back to the One.
That even includes getting lost. Aap bhulaavai aap maarag paa-ay — He Himself lets us wander, and He Himself puts us back on the Path. It is surprising, and it is kind. The lost years were not outside the story.
This is not saying that nothing we do matters. Guru Amar Das means it as the deepest comfort. There was never a moment, even the worst one, outside the One's hand. Think of a maze at a fair, built by a parent who waits at the end. Every wrong turn was still inside the maze they made, and they are the one who leads you out. Through the true Word, we merge into the True One.
Looking back, did any of your wrong turns quietly teach you something the straight road could not?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI