Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Even the greatest, most powerful beings in all the old stories ache with longing for the One.
That One is beyond reach and beyond measure. Yet everyone, everywhere, is singing to it.
The kind One is the Master of those who have no master. Says Nanak: joining good and holy people, one is saved.
Even the mightiest beings long for the One.
The list climbs higher. The old stories of India tell of great gods, like Vishnu and Shiva with his long matted hair. They tell of Indra, king of the heavens, and many heavenly singers and dancers. The verse says that millions of them chaaheh tujheh — long for You. Their hearts are full of longing.
This is said with respect, not to put anyone down. Whoever people think is the highest, even they look up to the One beyond them all. Think of the tallest mountain. Even it lies under the same wide sky.
Then a beautiful name for the One: anaath naath. Anaath means someone with no one to look after them. Naath means master and protector. So the One is the protector of those who have no protector, the One who takes in the people nobody else claims. However high the mighty climb, and however alone the forgotten feel, the same One holds them all.
What does it mean that the One is 'the master of those who have no master' — who belongs to no one?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI