The Fish and the Water

ਮੋਹਿ ਮਛੁਲੀ ਤੁਮ ਨੀਰ ਤੁਝ ਬਿਨੁ ਕਿਉ ਸਰੈ ॥

mohi machhulee tum neer tujh bin ki-o sarai.

I am the fish, and You are the water; without You, what can I do?

ਮੋਹਿ ਚਾਤ੍ਰਿਕ ਤੁਮ੍ਹ੍ਹ ਬੂੰਦ ਤ੍ਰਿਪਤਉ ਮੁਖਿ ਪਰੈ ॥

mohi chaatrik tum^H boond taripta-o mukh parai.

I am the rainbird, and You are the rain-drop; when it falls into my mouth, I am satisfied.

ਮੁਖਿ ਪਰੈ ਹਰੈ ਪਿਆਸ ਮੇਰੀ ਜੀਅ ਹੀਆ ਪ੍ਰਾਨਪਤੇ ॥

mukh parai harai pi-aas mayree jee-a hee-aa paranpatay.

When it falls into my mouth, my thirst is quenched; You are the Lord of my soul, my heart, my breath of life.

ਲਾਡਿਲੇ ਲਾਡ ਲਡਾਇ ਸਭ ਮਹਿ ਮਿਲੁ ਹਮਾਰੀ ਹੋਇ ਗਤੇ ॥

laadilay laad ladaa-ay sabh meh mil hamaaree ho-ay gatay.

Touch me, and caress me, O Lord, You are in all; let me meet You, so that I may be emancipated.

ਚੀਤਿ ਚਿਤਵਉ ਮਿਟੁ ਅੰਧਾਰੇ ਜਿਉ ਆਸ ਚਕਵੀ ਦਿਨੁ ਚਰੈ ॥

cheet chitva-o mit anDhaaray ji-o aas chakvee din charai.

In my consciousness I remember You, and the darkness is dispelled, like the chakvi duck, which longs to see the dawn.

ਨਾਨਕੁ ਪਇਅੰਪੈ ਪ੍ਰਿਅ ਸੰਗਿ ਮੇਲੀ ਮਛੁਲੀ ਨੀਰੁ ਨ ਵੀਸਰੈ ॥੪॥

naanak pa-i-ampai pari-a sang maylee machhulee neer na veesrai. ||4||

Prays Nanak, O my Beloved, please unite me with Yourself; the fish never forgets the water. ||4||

Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa

In plain words

I am the fish and You are the water — without You, how would I even manage?

I am the little rain-bird, and You are the raindrop; the moment it touches my mouth, I am satisfied and my thirst is gone. You are the life of my heart and my breath.

Hold me close; You are in everything — let me meet You and be free. In my mind I keep You, and the dark lifts, the way the little duck longs for the dawn. Nanak prays: join me to You — the fish never forgets the water.

Longing for the One is as natural as a fish loving the water.

The deeper layer

Three classic longing-images stacked together: machhulee/neer (fish and water), chaatrik/boond (rain-bird and raindrop), chakvee/din (the duck longing for dawn) — the longing kept gentle and hopeful. Paranpatay: the Lord of the breath. Laad ladaa-ay (caress and cherish) means holding close. Gatay: freedom. The fish-never-forgets-the-water close makes longing into natural belonging.

A Question to Sit With

What do you long for the way a bird waits for the rain?

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

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