ਆਪੇ ਮਾਰੇ ਆਪੇ ਛੋਡੈ ਆਪੇ ਲੇਵੈ ਦੇਇ ॥
aapay maaray aapay chhodai aapay layvai day-ay.
He Himself kills, and He Himself emancipates; He Himself gives and takes.
ਆਪੇ ਵੇਖੈ ਆਪੇ ਵਿਗਸੈ ਆਪੇ ਨਦਰਿ ਕਰੇਇ ॥੨॥
aapay vaykhai aapay vigsai aapay nadar karay-i. ||2||
He Himself beholds, and He Himself rejoices; He Himself bestows His Glance of Grace. ||2||
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
The One ends things and the One sets free; the One gives and the One takes back.
The One watches it all and delights in it, and the One pours out grace.
The same One who gives and takes also watches it all with delight.
A litany of aapay ("He Himself"): killing and saving, giving and taking, all belong to the same One. Crucially, the One "beholds and rejoices" — existence is not run grimly but watched with delight. The Glance of Grace (nadar) falls inside this delight, not as a reluctant concession.
A Question to Sit With
How might it feel to know the whole of life is being watched over with delight, not judgment?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI
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