Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
The one who knows the One is the one who walks in step with the Guru -- and that is what makes a person noble.
When the One fills your heart, the fever of ego and its sickness quietly heal.
You sing the praise, you gather goodness, and your light melts into the great Light.
Such people are rare in any age -- the ones who come to know the One by giving it their full attention.
Nanak says: those touched by the True One's grace stay gently tuned to the Naam.
Nobility comes from the heart, whatever family you are born into.
This is a shalok, a short verse, by Guru Amar Das, the third Guru.
Barahm bindeh tay barahmanaa — those who know God are the true Brahmins. In old Indian society, Brahmins were the highest-ranked caste, the priests and teachers. Guru Amar Das gives the word a new meaning. A true Brahmin is anyone who knows the One. Jay chaleh satgur bhaa-ay — if they walk in step with the True Guru. The point is about the heart, not about any one community.
Jin kai hirdai har vasai ha-umai rog gavaa-ay — when the One lives in the heart, the sickness of ego goes away. Ha-umai is ego, the "me first" feeling. It is treated like a sickness to heal, not a sin to punish.
Is jug meh virlay — in this age, such people are rare. This is not a boast. It is an honest note that few let the teaching sink all the way in.
Think of a school prize that goes to the kindest kid, not the richest. That is the kind of rank this verse cares about.
Have you ever seen someone treated as important for the wrong reasons -- or overlooked for the wrong ones?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI