ਸਭ ਊਤਮ ਕਿਸੁ ਆਖਉ ਹੀਨਾ ॥
sabh ootam kis aakha-o heenaa.
All are high and exalted; how can I call anyone low?
ਹਰਿ ਭਗਤੀ ਸਚਿ ਨਾਮਿ ਪਤੀਨਾ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
har bhagtee sach naam pateenaa. ||1|| rahaa-o.
Devotional worship of the Lord and the True Name has satisfied me. ||1||Pause||
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Everyone stands high; how could I call anyone low?
Loving the One and holding the True Name has filled me with contentment.
Everyone stands high; there is no one to call low.
Every person stands high, and a heart filled with the True Name finds no one to call low.
This is the rahaa-o, the "pause" line, the centre of the shabad, and one of its brightest lines: sabh ootam kis aakho heenaa, all are exalted; whom could I call low? Nanak makes the dignity of every person, whatever their birth, a refrain. Once the True Name fills the heart, ranking people becomes impossible.
A Question to Sit With
What changes when you believe no person is worth less than another?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI
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