Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Meditate on the One; read and reflect on the Guru's Shabad.
Meditate on the One, and let the ego be subdued.
Meditate on the One, in awe and love of the True.
O Nanak, through the Guru's Teachings, enshrine the Name in your heart.
The shabad ends like a drumbeat: remember the One, remember, remember.
Har jap means remember the One by repeating the Name. The verse says it three times: har jap... har jap... har japee-ai. Each beat comes with a partner. The first comes with study of the Guru's Word. The second comes with letting go of ego. The third comes with loving awe of the True One.
The repeating is the meaning. A hymn about hope ends not with a new idea but with practice, done again and again until it is no longer just an idea. Think of learning a piano piece. You play it so many times that one day your fingers just know it.
The last line gives the whole treasure map in a few words: naanak naam gurmat ur dhaar — the Name, placed in the heart, through gurmat, the Guru's teaching. Hope stacked on hope was sleep. This, repeated dawn after dawn, is waking up.
What one practice, repeated daily, would you bet could change the whole color of your mind in a year?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI