Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
The one who has the Name written into his destiny meditates on it day and night.
He receives the wondrous gift of loving devotion from the perfect Guru.
This is the "pause" line, the rahaa-o — the center of the shabad. It says devotion is both a gift and a practice.
Some people have the Name written into their destiny from the very start. They remember it an-din, day and night. And from the Perfect Guru they receive bhagat visaykh — a wondrous gift of loving devotion. Bhagat means loving devotion to the One.
So is devotion a gift, or something you do? Guru Amar Das calmly holds both together. You cannot build devotion yourself, like a machine. And yet you can give yourself to it day and night. It is like a gift for music: the talent is given, and you still practice every day. Receiving and practicing are not rivals. They work together.
What is something you both work at daily and feel grateful to have been given?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI