Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Think of how a fish loves water — it can't live without it, it's everything to the fish.
That's how people who truly love the One feel about the One: it's their whole world.
And here's the beautiful part: when your heart is that full of love, everyone starts to look good to you.
A heart soaked in love sees the goodness in every single person.
This is the opening shabad of Raag Wadahans, by Guru Nanak — placed here as a bridge as one raag flows into the next (the way the closing verse of a section often opens the door to what follows). It begins with a famous, homely pair of images: "to the addict there is nothing like the drug; to the fish there is nothing like water." Guru Nanak uses these to describe total, single-hearted devotion — the way someone who loves the One can't imagine life without it, as a fish can't imagine life out of water. But the shabad's real gift is its second line: jo ratay seh aapnai, tin bhaavai sabh koay — "those attuned to their Lord — everyone is pleasing to them." When your heart is truly full of love for the One, you don't become judgmental; you become warmer — you start to find everyone lovable. Love of the One overflows into love of all. For a child: when your heart is really full of love, you start seeing what's good in everybody.
When you're feeling really happy and loved, do people around you seem nicer? Why might that be?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI