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Sikhism·Raag Bilaaval·Shabad 173
Verse 10 of 40

No One Leaves Empty-Handed

ਸਲੋਕ ਮਃ ੩ ॥
salok mehlaa 3.
Shalok, Third Mehl:
ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਤੇ ਖਾਲੀ ਕੋ ਨਹੀ ਮੇਰੈ ਪ੍ਰਭਿ ਮੇਲਿ ਮਿਲਾਏ ॥
satgur tay khaalee ko nahee mayrai parabh mayl milaa-ay.
No one goes away empty-handed from the True Guru; He unites me in Union with my God.
ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਕਾ ਦਰਸਨੁ ਸਫਲੁ ਹੈ ਜੇਹਾ ਕੋ ਇਛੇ ਤੇਹਾ ਫਲੁ ਪਾਏ ॥
satgur kaa darsan safal hai jayhaa ko ichhay tayhaa fal paa-ay.
Fruitful is the Blessed Vision of the Darshan of the True Guru; through it, one obtains whatever fruitful rewards he desires.
ਗੁਰ ਕਾ ਸਬਦੁ ਅੰਮ੍ਰਿਤੁ ਹੈ ਸਭ ਤ੍ਰਿਸਨਾ ਭੁਖ ਗਵਾਏ ॥
gur kaa sabad amrit hai sabh tarisnaa bhukh gavaa-ay.
The Word of the Guru's Shabad is Ambrosial Nectar. It banishes all hunger and thirst.
ਹਰਿ ਰਸੁ ਪੀ ਸੰਤੋਖੁ ਹੋਆ ਸਚੁ ਵਸਿਆ ਮਨਿ ਆਏ ॥
har ras pee santokh ho-aa sach vasi-aa man aa-ay.
Drinking in the sublime essence of the Lord brings contentment; the True Lord comes to dwell in the mind.
ਸਚੁ ਧਿਆਇ ਅਮਰਾ ਪਦੁ ਪਾਇਆ ਅਨਹਦ ਸਬਦ ਵਜਾਏ ॥
sach Dhi-aa-ay amraa pad paa-i-aa anhad sabad vajaa-ay.
Meditating on the True Lord, the status of immortality is obtained; the Unstruck Word of the Shabad vibrates and resounds.
ਸਚੋ ਦਹ ਦਿਸਿ ਪਸਰਿਆ ਗੁਰ ਕੈ ਸਹਜਿ ਸੁਭਾਏ ॥
sacho dah dis pasri-aa gur kai sahj subhaa-ay.
The True Lord is pervading in the ten directions; through the Guru, this is intuitively known.
ਨਾਨਕ ਜਿਨ ਅੰਦਰਿ ਸਚੁ ਹੈ ਸੇ ਜਨ ਛਪਹਿ ਨ ਕਿਸੈ ਦੇ ਛਪਾਏ ॥੧॥
naanak jin andar sach hai say jan chhapeh na kisai day chhapaa-ay. ||1||
O Nanak, those humble beings who have the Truth deep within, are never hidden, even if others try to hide them. ||1||

Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa

In plain words

No one ever walks away from the Guru with empty hands.

To see the Guru is a gift that gives you exactly what your heart reaches for.

The Guru's Word is like nectar -- it quiets the endless hunger and thirst inside.

Drinking in the sweetness of the One brings a deep contentment, and Truth settles into your mind.

A steady, unstruck music begins to sound, and the Truth spreads out in every direction.

Nanak says: those who carry the Truth inside them can never be hidden, whoever tries to hide them.

Turn toward what is real and you never come away empty.
The deeper layer

A Guru Amar Das shalok, generous and reassuring. Satgur tay khaalee ko nahee -- no one leaves empty-handed -- is a promise of abundance, the picture of a Giver who keeps giving. Anhad sabad (the unstruck sound) is the inner music that needs no instrument. The closing image is quietly defiant and comforting at once: say jan chhapeh na kisai day chhapaa-ay -- people with truth inside them cannot be hidden, no matter what anyone does. Real worth shows.

A Question to Sit With

Have you noticed how genuine goodness in a person tends to show, even when no one points it out?

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

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