Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Whatever the One does, it does all by itself. In a single instant, it raises up and pulls down.
A person may talk, chatter, shout and preach about the One, even hundreds of times. That alone does not make them accepted.
Guru Amar Das is saying: the One does everything, and many words alone do not win the One's approval.
Ayk gharhee meh thaap uthaap — in one moment, the One sets things up and takes them down. The One needs no help, and no one can push the One around. Think of a child building a sandcastle and smoothing it flat again with one sweep of the hand.
Then a strong warning about talk. Speaking, shouting and preaching about the One, jay sa-o ghaalay — even a hundred times over — thaa-ay na paa-ay, does not make a person accepted. Other hymns in Raag Aasaa make the same point. More words are not the coin that buys acceptance.
When is doing a little quietly worth more than saying a lot loudly?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI