To Be Pure Gold Is to Be Real All the Way Through

ੴ ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਪ੍ਰਸਾਦਿ ॥

ik-o^Nkaar satgur parsaad.

One Universal Creator God. By The Grace Of The True Guru:

ਆਸਾ ਮਹਲਾ ੪ ਛੰਤ ਘਰੁ ੪ ॥

aasaa mehlaa 4 chhant ghar 4.

Aasaa, Fourth Mehl, Chhant, Fourth House:

ਹਰਿ ਅੰਮ੍ਰਿਤ ਭਿੰਨੇ ਲੋਇਣਾ ਮਨੁ ਪ੍ਰੇਮਿ ਰਤੰਨਾ ਰਾਮ ਰਾਜੇ ॥

har amrit bhinnay lo-inaa man paraym ratannaa raam raajay.

My eyes are wet with the Nectar of the Lord, and my mind is imbued with His Love, O Lord King.

ਮਨੁ ਰਾਮਿ ਕਸਵਟੀ ਲਾਇਆ ਕੰਚਨੁ ਸੋਵਿੰਨਾ ॥

man raam kasvatee laa-i-aa kanchan sovinnaa.

The Lord applied His touch-stone to my mind, and found it one hundred per cent gold.

ਗੁਰਮੁਖਿ ਰੰਗਿ ਚਲੂਲਿਆ ਮੇਰਾ ਮਨੁ ਤਨੋ ਭਿੰਨਾ ॥

gurmukh rang chalooli-aa mayraa man tano bhinnaa.

As Gurmukh, I am dyed in the deep red of the poppy, and my mind and body are drenched with His Love.

ਜਨੁ ਨਾਨਕੁ ਮੁਸਕਿ ਝਕੋਲਿਆ ਸਭੁ ਜਨਮੁ ਧਨੁ ਧੰਨਾ ॥੧॥

jan naanak musak jhakoli-aa sabh janam Dhan Dhannaa. ||1||

Servant Nanak is drenched with His Fragrance; blessed, blessed is his entire life. ||1||

Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa

In plain words

My eyes brim with sweet tears and my heart is soaked in love.

Love tested my heart the way you test gold — and found it pure and true, dyed deep and glowing like a bright red flower.

To be 'pure gold' isn't about being perfect — it's about being real and true, all the way through.

The deeper layer

This Chhant sings the joy of being found true. Two lovely images carry it. First, tears of love (nectar in the eyes) — the overflow of a heart moved. Second, the touchstone: just as a jeweler rubs gold on a stone to test if it's real, love tested this heart and found it 100% gold — genuine all the way through. And the color of love: dyed deep red like the poppy, drenched through and through. To be 'found pure gold' isn't about being perfect; it's about being real — a heart that truly loves, tested and found genuine.

A Question to Sit With

What does it mean to you to be genuine — the same on the inside as the outside?

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

About this shabad →

← Shabad 313 · Verse 4 Let Me-First Pride Go and Understanding Grows

Verse 2 of 4 →Real Love Can Ache; That Ache Is a Heart Alive

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