Sikhism·Raag Bilaaval·Shabad 11
Verse 1 of 5

The One Plays Us Like Strings on a Violin

ਰਾਗੁ ਬਿਲਾਵਲੁ ਮਹਲਾ ੪ ਘਰੁ ੩
raag bilaaval mehlaa 4 ghar 3
Raag Bilaaval, Fourth Mehl, Third House:
ੴ ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਪ੍ਰਸਾਦਿ ॥
ik-oNkaar satgur parsaad.
One Universal Creator God. By The Grace Of The True Guru:
ਉਦਮ ਮਤਿ ਪ੍ਰਭ ਅੰਤਰਜਾਮੀ ਜਿਉ ਪ੍ਰੇਰੇ ਤਿਉ ਕਰਨਾ ॥
udam mat parabh antarjaamee ji-o parayray ti-o karnaa.
Effort and intelligence come from God, the Inner-knower, the Searcher of hearts; as He wills, they act.
ਜਿਉ ਨਟੂਆ ਤੰਤੁ ਵਜਾਏ ਤੰਤੀ ਤਿਉ ਵਾਜਹਿ ਜੰਤ ਜਨਾ ॥੧॥
ji-o natoo-aa tant vajaa-ay tantee ti-o vaajeh jant janaa. ||1||
As the violinist plays upon the strings of the violin, so does the Lord play the living beings. ||1||

Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa

In plain words

There is only One. And the One is found by the True Guru's grace — a gift that is always here, waiting for an open heart.

Whatever energy and cleverness I have comes from the One who knows me from the inside; I act the way that inner One moves me.

It is like a violinist drawing a bow across the strings — the strings sing because the player plays them. In the same gentle way, all living beings are played by the One.

We are strings, and the music that comes through us is the One's playing.
The deeper layer

Antarjaamee — the inner-knower — sees within; the natoo-aa (player) and tantee (strings) image makes Hukam intimate and musical rather than commanding. We are not puppets so much as instruments whose whole song is the player's.

A Question to Sit With

When you do your very best at something, where do you think the ability comes from?

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

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