Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
One, this is my heart's one desire:
treasure of kindness, merciful One, make me the servant of your good ones.
In the early hours I fall at the feet of your humble servants; night and day I take in the sight of them.
Giving my body and mind, I serve the humble; with my tongue I sing your wonder.
What does the seeker ask for, when he can ask for anything? Not wealth, not powers, not even liberation directly — but to be "the servant of your Saints," to keep the company of the good. This is a remarkable ordering of desire: the one thing worth wanting is nearness to goodness, because everything else follows from it. The "early hours" (amrit vela, the ambrosial pre-dawn) is the traditional time of deepest quiet, and the practice is bodily and whole — body, mind, and tongue all given. The whole self, offered into good company. That is the entire prayer.
If you could have one wish granted, would being surrounded by genuinely good people make the list? Why might it be the wisest wish?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI