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Sikhism·Raag Bihaagraa·Shabad 16
Verse 18 of 64

From Seed to Supper, the One Does Every Part

ਪਉੜੀ ॥
pa-orhee.
Pauree:
ਆਪੇ ਧਰਤੀ ਆਪੇ ਹੈ ਰਾਹਕੁ ਆਪਿ ਜੰਮਾਇ ਪੀਸਾਵੈ ॥
aapay Dhartee aapay hai raahak aap jammaa-ay peesaavai.
He Himself is the field, and He Himself is the farmer. He Himself grows and grinds the corn.
ਆਪਿ ਪਕਾਵੈ ਆਪਿ ਭਾਂਡੇ ਦੇਇ ਪਰੋਸੈ ਆਪੇ ਹੀ ਬਹਿ ਖਾਵੈ ॥
aap pakaavai aap bhaaNday day-ay parosai aapay hee bahi khaavai.
He Himself cooks it, He Himself puts the food in the dishes, and He Himself sits down to eat.
ਆਪੇ ਜਲੁ ਆਪੇ ਦੇ ਛਿੰਗਾ ਆਪੇ ਚੁਲੀ ਭਰਾਵੈ ॥
aapay jal aapay day chhingaa aapay chulee bharaavai.
He Himself is the water, He Himself gives the tooth-pick, and He Himself offers the mouthwash.
ਆਪੇ ਸੰਗਤਿ ਸਦਿ ਬਹਾਲੈ ਆਪੇ ਵਿਦਾ ਕਰਾਵੈ ॥
aapay sangat sad bahaalai aapay vidaa karaavai.
He Himself calls and seats the congregation, and He Himself bids them goodbye.
ਜਿਸ ਨੋ ਕਿਰਪਾਲੁ ਹੋਵੈ ਹਰਿ ਆਪੇ ਤਿਸ ਨੋ ਹੁਕਮੁ ਮਨਾਵੈ ॥੬॥
jis no kirpaal hovai har aapay tis no hukam manaavai. ||6||
One whom the Lord Himself blesses with His Mercy - the Lord causes him to walk according to His Will. ||6||

Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa

In plain words

The One is the field and the farmer, the one who plants and the one who harvests.

The One cooks the meal, serves it, and sits down to enjoy it too.

The One gathers everyone together and, when it's time, sends them gently on their way.

And whoever the One touches with kindness gets to walk the good road.

From the seed in the ground to the supper on your plate, the One is doing every single part.
The deeper layer

The aapay litany continues with a wonderfully homely image: the One is "the field and the farmer, grows and grinds the corn, cooks it, serves it, and sits down to eat." The whole cycle of nourishment — from soil to supper — is the One playing every role. Then the social version: the One "calls and seats the congregation, and bids them goodbye" — even our gatherings and partings are within the One. It is a picture of a reality utterly full of the divine: there is no leftover corner where the One isn't. For a child, it turns an ordinary meal into something wondrous — the whole story of your dinner, from seed to plate, is the One at work.

A Question to Sit With

Can you trace the whole journey of your dinner — from a tiny seed all the way to your plate?

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

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