Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Listen, my friend: put down the flat, flavorless water of the things that only look good — and drink instead the sweet, real water of the Name. Without that taste, all have sunk. No heart has found real joy.
Chasing status and showing off will not carry you anywhere; better to sit low and humble and serve the holy people. Nanak says: the ones who shine at the One's door are the ones the One has quietly claimed as its own.
Put down the flat, tasteless drink, and drink the sweet one: the Name.
The shabad talks friend to friend. Sakhee means a close friend or companion.
Bikhai ban feekaa — the tasteless water of things that only glitter. It is set against naam mahaa ras, the deep sweetness of the Name. Think of a fizzy drink that looks exciting but leaves you thirstier, next to a cool glass of fresh water. Gurbani calls the first kind jhooth, the false, which washes off. The second is sach, the true, which holds.
Then the verse says: you have no honor, glory or power of your own, so become a servant of the holy ones. In plain words, your own status cannot save you. So stay humble, and serve the holy people.
Say dar sobhaavantay jo prabh apunai kee-o — the ones who shine are those the One has made His own. Their beauty is a gift of grace. It is not a trophy they won.
What is something flashy you once wanted badly that turned out to be kind of empty?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI