Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
You are the great Banker, and the whole world trades with what You provide.
You made every container, and what is inside is Yours too.
Whatever You pour into one is what pours back out. What can the poor creatures do?
To servant Nanak, the One has given the treasure of loving Him.
We are like cups filled by the One, so we can be slow to judge each other.
The verse widens the market picture. Sach saahu hamaaraa toon dhanee — You are our true Banker. Sabh jagat vanjaaraa — the whole world is Your traders. Everyone does business with what came from the One.
Then comes a humbling picture. Sabh bhaanday tudhai saaji-aa — You made every bhaandaa, every cup or pot. Whatever You pour into a cup is what pours back out. Think of cups filled at the same tap. What comes out depends on what went in. So we can be slower to judge and quicker to understand. If what comes out of a person depends partly on what was put in, gentleness makes sense. Ki-aa ko-ee karay vaychaaraa — what can the poor creature do? That line is not about being helpless. It softens harsh judgment. And to Nanak, the One has given the treasure of loving devotion.
Does knowing people are shaped by things they didn't choose make you more understanding of them?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI