Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
I wandered everywhere searching — forest after forest, holy place after holy place — until I was worn out.
Then I met a truly good soul, and found the One I'd been hunting for was inside me all along.
We can search the whole world for the One, and then find the One was inside us.
This opening Shalok, a short verse, tells a little story. Ban ban firtee khojtee — I wandered from forest to forest, searching. The seeker visited holy places and bathed in holy waters, again and again, and came back tired and empty-handed.
Then comes the quiet turn. Bhaytay saadh — I met a saadh, a truly good and holy person. Har paa-i-aa man maahi — I found the One inside my own mind.
Think of hunting all over the house for your glasses while they sit on your nose. The One was inside all along. Good company is what turns us around to look within. This sets up the song that follows: the whole universe is searching for what is closest of all.
Have you ever looked everywhere for something that turned out to be right nearby?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI