Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Stay close to the One who is the great heart behind everything.
People who lean wholly on that One don't have to grovel or shrink before anybody.
Living near real wisdom, you find a home in the presence of the One.
And when people grumble or try to stir up trouble, it doesn't shake you.
The shabad closes on dignity. To serve the "Great Lord and Master of all" is to become, paradoxically, free — kis hee kee mohtaajee naahee, "not subservient to anyone." This is a striking Sikh teaching: devotion to the One makes you un-beholden to every lesser power — you need not flatter, grovel, or shrink before people who could pressure you. The one anchored in the One has "obtained the Mansion of the Lord's Presence" (mahal), a settled inner home, so the "barking" of slanderers cannot reach. For a child this is quiet courage: when you are secure in what's real and good, other people's grumbling loses its power to knock you over.
When someone tries to make you feel small, what helps you stand steady inside?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI