Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Let her light the lamp in the house of her mind. Let her make her very self the resting-place for the One.
Then, when the King of wisdom comes, He will take her as His own.
When the bride has made herself ready inside, the One comes and takes her as His own.
The shabad ends in the bride's own room. Man mandar jay deepak jaalay — let her light a lamp in the mandar, the house, of her mind. That lamp is awareness, being awake to the One. Then she makes her body a resting-place ready for the One.
Think of getting a room ready for a guest you love. You clean it, you light a lamp, you wait by the door. All the dressing up in this shabad was that kind of getting ready.
Then gi-aan raa-o arrives, the King of wisdom. The long preparation comes true in closeness. The soul becomes the Beloved's own. Another shabad of Guru Nanak in this raag ends the same way, with the bride welcomed home.
How do you prepare a space — inside or out — to welcome something precious?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI