Sikhism·Raag Bilaaval·Shabad 17
Verse 1 of 3

Sing the Name That Lifts Everyone

ੴ ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਪ੍ਰਸਾਦਿ ॥
ik-oNkaar satgur parsaad.
One Universal Creator God. By The Grace Of The True Guru:
ਰਾਗੁ ਬਿਲਾਵਲੁ ਮਹਲਾ ੪ ਪੜਤਾਲ ਘਰੁ ੧੩ ॥
raag bilaaval mehlaa 4 parh-taal ghar 13.
Raag Bilaaval, Fourth Mehl, Partaal, Thirteenth House:
ਬੋਲਹੁ ਭਈਆ ਰਾਮ ਨਾਮੁ ਪਤਿਤ ਪਾਵਨੋ ॥
bolhu bha-ee-aa raam naam patit paavno.
O Siblings of Destiny, chant the Name of the Lord, the Purifier of sinners.
ਹਰਿ ਸੰਤ ਭਗਤ ਤਾਰਨੋ ॥
har sant bhagat taarno.
The Lord emancipates his Saints and devotees.
ਹਰਿ ਭਰਿਪੁਰੇ ਰਹਿਆ ॥
har bharipuray rahi-aa.
The Lord is totally permeating and pervading everywhere;
ਜਲਿ ਥਲੇ ਰਾਮ ਨਾਮੁ ॥
jal thalay raam naam.
the Name of the Lord is pervading the water and the land.
ਨਿਤ ਗਾਈਐ ਹਰਿ ਦੂਖ ਬਿਸਾਰਨੋ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
nit gaa-ee-ai har dookh bisaarno. ||1|| rahaa-o.
So sing continuously of the Lord, the Dispeller of pain. ||1||Pause||

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.

Say the Naam of the One, my friends — the Naam that lifts up everyone, however far they have wandered.

The One carries the saints and devotees safely across. The One fills everything, everywhere; the Naam is in the water and on the land. Sing it every day — the One who takes pain away.

The Name lifts everyone, however far they have wandered — no one is out of reach.
The deeper layer

The Naam lifts everyone, however far they have wandered.

This is the Rahao, the pivot of the Partaal. Patit paavno — the lifter of all who have wandered — holds out hope to every single person. Jal thalay raam naam (the Name in water and land) is the sarab viaapak seeing: the One is everywhere, so no one is out of reach.

A Question to Sit With

Who is someone people had given up on, that a little kindness could still lift up?

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

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