Sikhism·Raag Bilaaval·Shabad 161
Verse 15 of 21

Everywhere I Look, the Same One

ਜਹ ਦੇਖਉ ਤਹ ਏਕੋ ਏਕਾ ॥
jah daykh-a-u tah ayko aykaa.
Wherever I look, I see the One Lord there.
ਹੋਰਿ ਜੀਅ ਉਪਾਏ ਵੇਕੋ ਵੇਕਾ ॥
hor jee-a upaa-ay vayko vaykaa.
He created the other beings, of many and various kinds.
ਫਲੋਹਾਰ ਕੀਏ ਫਲੁ ਜਾਇ ॥
falohaar kee-ay fal jaa-ay.
Eating only fruits, one loses the fruits of life.
ਰਸ ਕਸ ਖਾਏ ਸਾਦੁ ਗਵਾਇ ॥
ras kas khaa-ay saad gavaa-ay.
Eating only delicacies of various sorts, one loses the true taste.
ਕੂੜੈ ਲਾਲਚਿ ਲਪਟੈ ਲਪਟਾਇ ॥
koorhai laalach laptai laptaa-ay.
In fraud and greed, people are engrossed and entangled.
ਛੂਟੈ ਗੁਰਮੁਖਿ ਸਾਚੁ ਕਮਾਇ ॥੧੪॥
chhootai gurmukh saach kamaa-ay. ||14||
The Gurmukh is emancipated, practicing Truth. ||14||

Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa

In plain words

Everywhere I turn my eyes, I see the same One -- in every kind of creature, in every corner.

You can follow all the special food rules you like -- eating only this, avoiding only that -- and still miss what your life is for. Fussing over rituals while your heart stays tangled in greed does not set you free.

What sets you free is living truthfully. That is the taste worth chasing.

Following food rules won't free you -- living honestly will.
The deeper layer

A reflective verse between the days. jah daykh-au tah eko -- "wherever I look, the One" -- a recurring Gurbani line of pure oneness. falohaar / ras kas -- fruit-only and special fasting diets are gently critiqued: outer diet-rules are not the path; koorhai laalach (greed) is the trap that holds people. Freedom is saach kamaa-ay -- living the truth. The critique targets empty formalism, not any one tradition.

A Question to Sit With

Have you ever followed a rule so carefully that you forgot why it mattered?

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

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