Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Everyone's time comes. Those who turn to the Guru shine, and those who remember the One are carried across.
Through the One they are honored, and through the Name they become great. In the One's court they are dressed in honor.
Through the Name they find peace.
The pain of being born and the pain of dying both go away, and they melt into the Name.
The One's loved ones meet Him and become one. The one who loves the One and the One are the same.
A life spent remembering the One turns the end of life into a welcome home.
The verse meets death with light instead of fear. Dhur maran likhaa-i-aa — death is part of every life from the start. But gurmukh sohaa-i-aa — those who turn to the Guru look beautiful. Those who lived remembering the One are welcomed and paidhay, dressed in honor.
Living toward the One turns even the end into a homecoming. Think of arriving at a family gathering after a long trip and being hugged at the door. The pains of birth and death both fall away. Then comes the closing idea. Har jan prabh ayk samaan — the One's servant and the One become one and the same. Love, carried far enough, closes the last gap between the one who loves and the One who is loved. Guru Ram Das sings this closeness of Guru, God, and Sikh again in nearby shabads. The end of the road is not standing in front of the One. It is becoming one with Him.
What does it mean to become so close to someone or something that you're 'one and the same'?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI