Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Wherever I go in this whole world, the One is already there.
Here and everywhere, the One is present -- fair, even, leaving no one out.
Living falsely leaves a life empty on its own, while true devotion brings a quiet greatness.
True is the One, and true and even is the way things return to us.
Nanak says: I hold the True One in my heart, turn toward the Guru, and find peace.
The One is everywhere, and the One's justice is true.
This is a pauri, one verse of a longer song called a Vaar, by Guru Ram Das, the fourth Guru.
Jithai jaa-ee-ai jagat meh tithai har saa-ee — wherever we go in the world, the One is there. That is pure comfort. You are never outside the One's presence.
Har sachaa ni-aa-ee — the One is the true Judge, fair to everyone. Ni-aa-ee means judge.
The verse then uses strong pictures. The false are shamed, and those who slander end up with ashes on their heads. Nindak means someone who slanders, who spreads unkind lies about others. The meaning is that a false life empties itself out, while truth brings a quiet greatness. No one needs to be struck. What we do simply comes back to us, evenly.
If someone is being unkind to you or hurting you, that is never something you have to accept. Telling a grown-up you trust is always the right thing to do.
Jan naanak sach araaDhi-aa — Nanak holds on to the True One with love, and finds peace. Think of a compass that points north wherever you carry it. The One is like that, steady everywhere.
Does it change anything to imagine you are never alone, wherever you go?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI