Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
The One made the air and holds up the whole world. The One tied water and fire together, so they could live side by side.
The blind, ten-headed Raavan was struck down. But what real greatness was there in killing him?
The biggest hero stories look small next to the One who quietly holds everything together.
Guru Nanak starts with the One's steady work. The One made the air. The One holds up the whole earth. The One tied water and fire together, two things that are opposites.
Then he brings in a famous story. In the Ramayana, an old and much-loved Indian epic, the ten-headed king Raavan is defeated. Raavan maar ki-aa vadaa bha-i-aa — what greatness was there in killing Raavan? Guru Nanak is not mocking the story. He is changing the size of things. Think of cheering for a player who scores one goal, while forgetting the ground that holds up the whole stadium. The loud, exciting deeds people celebrate are small beside the quiet work of keeping everything in existence.
Who does the quiet, unglamorous work that everything around you depends on?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI