Sikhism·Raag Aasaa·Shabad 337
Verse 4 of 5

The One Is Vast as the Universe, Near as a Parent

ਪਿਤਾ ਹਮਾਰੋ ਵਡ ਗੋਸਾਈ ॥
pitaa hamaaro vad gosaa-ee.
My Father is the Great Lord of the Universe.
ਤਿਸੁ ਪਿਤਾ ਪਹਿ ਹਉ ਕਿਉ ਕਰਿ ਜਾਈ ॥
tis pitaa peh ha-o ki-o kar jaa-ee.
How shall I go to that Father?
ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਮਿਲੇ ਤ ਮਾਰਗੁ ਦਿਖਾਇਆ ॥
satgur milay ta maarag dikhaa-i-aa.
When I met the True Guru, He showed me the Way.
ਜਗਤ ਪਿਤਾ ਮੇਰੈ ਮਨਿ ਭਾਇਆ ॥੩॥
jagat pitaa mayrai man bhaa-i-aa. ||3||
The Father of the Universe is pleasing to my mind. ||3||

Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa

In plain words

My Father is the great One of the whole universe — so how do I get to Him?

When I met true wisdom, it showed me the way — and now that Father is my heart's delight.

The One is as vast as the whole universe and as near as a loving parent — wisdom shows you the way to both at once.
The deeper layer

Kabir asks a child's honest question about a Father who is the Great Lord of the whole Universe: how shall I ever get to a Father that big? The gap between a small self and the infinite One could feel impossibly wide. And the answer is gentle and reachable: when I met the True Guru, He showed me the Way. You don't have to figure out how to cross the vast distance on your own; wisdom shows you the path, and it turns out the enormous Father of the Universe is also pleasing to my mind — near and dear, not far and frightening. The infinite and the intimate are the same One.

A Question to Sit With

How can something be as big as the whole universe and still feel close and dear to you?

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

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