Sikhism·Raag Basant·Shabad 15
Verse 3 of 5

Drawn Close to Serve

ਹਰਿ ਨ ਸੇਵਹਿ ਤੇ ਹਰਿ ਤੇ ਦੂਰਿ ॥
har na sayveh tay har tay door.
Those who do not serve the Lord are far away from the Lord.
ਦਿਸੰਤਰੁ ਭਵਹਿ ਸਿਰਿ ਪਾਵਹਿ ਧੂਰਿ ॥
disantar bhaveh sir paavahi Dhoor.
They wander in foreign lands, with dust thrown on their heads.
ਹਰਿ ਆਪੇ ਜਨ ਲੀਏ ਲਾਇ ॥
har aapay jan lee-ay laa-ay.
The Lord Himself enjoins His humble servants to serve Him.
ਤਿਨ ਸਦਾ ਸੁਖੁ ਹੈ ਤਿਲੁ ਨ ਤਮਾਇ ॥੨॥
tin sadaa sukh hai til na tamaa-ay. ||2||
They live in peace forever, and have no greed at all. ||2||

Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa

In plain words

Those who do not serve the One are far away from the One.

They wander from land to land, with dust on their heads.

The One draws its own people close and sets them to serve.

They live in peace forever, without a speck of greed.

The One draws its own close and gives them peace with no grasping left.
The deeper layer

Forgetting the One leaves you wandering far away, and being drawn close brings peace with no greed left.

Har na sayveh tay har tay door: those who do not serve the One are far from the One. Disantar bhaveh: they wander through foreign lands, and sir paavahi dhoor, dust settles on their heads, the look of someone worn out from a long road. Har aapay jan lee-ay laa-ay: the One draws its own people close and joins them to service. They have sadaa sukh, lasting peace, and til na tamaa-ay, not even a sesame seed of greed. Peace and freedom from grasping arrive together.

A Question to Sit With

What does it feel like to want nothing more than exactly what you already have?

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

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