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Sikhism·Raag Aasaa·Shabad 313
Verse 3 of 4

One Good Source Behind All, Not a Battle of Powers

ਤੂੰ ਸਤਿ ਪਰਮੇਸਰੁ ਸਦਾ ਅਬਿਨਾਸੀ ਹਰਿ ਹਰਿ ਗੁਣੀ ਨਿਧਾਨੁ ਜੀਉ ॥
tooN sat parmaysar sadaa abhinaasee har har gunee niDhaan jee-o.
You are the True, Transcendent Lord, forever imperishable. The Lord, Har, Har, is the treasure of virtue.
ਹਰਿ ਹਰਿ ਪ੍ਰਭੁ ਏਕੋ ਅਵਰੁ ਨ ਕੋਈ ਤੂੰ ਆਪੇ ਪੁਰਖੁ ਸੁਜਾਨੁ ਜੀਉ ॥
har har parabh ayko avar na ko-ee tooN aapay purakh sujaan jee-o.
The Lord God, Har, Har, is the One and only; there is no other at all. You Yourself are the all-knowing Lord.
ਪੁਰਖੁ ਸੁਜਾਨੁ ਤੂੰ ਪਰਧਾਨੁ ਤੁਧੁ ਜੇਵਡੁ ਅਵਰੁ ਨ ਕੋਈ ॥
purakh sujaan tooN parDhaan tuDh jayvad avar na ko-ee.
You are the all-knowing Lord, the most exalted and auspicious; there is no other as great as You.
ਤੇਰਾ ਸਬਦੁ ਸਭੁ ਤੂੰਹੈ ਵਰਤਹਿ ਤੂੰ ਆਪੇ ਕਰਹਿ ਸੁ ਹੋਈ ॥
tayraa sabad sabh tooNhai varteh tooN aapay karahi so ho-ee.
The Word of Your Shabad is pervading in all; whatever You do, comes to pass.
ਹਰਿ ਸਭ ਮਹਿ ਰਵਿਆ ਏਕੋ ਸੋਈ ਗੁਰਮੁਖਿ ਲਖਿਆ ਹਰਿ ਨਾਮੁ ਜੀਉ ॥
har sabh meh ravi-aa ayko so-ee gurmukh lakhi-aa har naam jee-o.
The One Lord God is permeating all; the Gurmukh comes to understand the Lord's Name.
ਤੂੰ ਸਤਿ ਪਰਮੇਸਰੁ ਸਦਾ ਅਬਿਨਾਸੀ ਹਰਿ ਹਰਿ ਗੁਣੀ ਨਿਧਾਨੁ ਜੀਉ ॥੩॥
tooN sat parmaysar sadaa abhinaasee har har gunee niDhaan jee-o. ||3||
You are the True, Transcendent Lord, forever imperishable. The Lord, Har, Har, is the treasure of virtue. ||3||

Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa

In plain words

You are true and lasting. You never wear out. You are a treasure chest of every good quality.

There is only the One, and nothing else beside it. You know everything. No one is as great as You.

Your Word is in everything. Whatever You do comes to be. Those who face the Guru come to know Your Name.

There is one good source behind everything — reality isn't a battle of competing powers.
The deeper layer

This one says there is one good Source behind everything.

The One is abhinaasee, never wearing out. The One is gunee niDhaan, a treasure chest of every good quality. All goodness comes from there. Then comes the heart of the verse: avar na ko-ee — there is no other at all. One presence knows everything and stands behind everything. Too aapay karahi so ho-ee — whatever You do comes to pass.

For a child, this can feel very steadying. The world is not a battlefield of rival powers you need to worry about. Think of the ocean. Waves rise and fall, big and small, but it is all one ocean. There is one Source, it is good, and it holds the whole show.

A Question to Sit With

Does it feel steadier to imagine one good source behind everything, rather than many powers fighting?

Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI

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