You are all-powerful, at all times; You show me the Way; I am a sacrifice, a sacrifice to You.
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Riches, spiritual powers and wealth are all in the palm of your hand. Life of the world, Master of all, endless is your Name.
Show your kindness and mercy to Nanak; I live by hearing your praises.
This one says: of everything the One could give, the best is simply hearing about it.
ridh sidh nidh kar tal — riches, spiritual powers and treasure are all in the palm of your hand. Ridh and sidh mean wealth and special powers. These are the things the world strives for. The One holds them all easily and gives as it pleases. So there is nothing to grab for anywhere else. It is all in one hand.
Then the last line names what the seeker really lives on. Not the riches, not the powers. sun sun jas jeevaau — hearing your praises again and again, I live. Of everything in that open hand, he just wants to keep hearing about the One. That is enough to live on.
This is the deep longing that runs through this raag, called viraha: missing the Beloved so much that even hearing their name feeds you. Think of a child away at camp, reading a letter from home over and over. Guru Arjan's shabads in this raag end right here. The seeker is kept alive by love, asking only for kindness.
If everything were already held safely by someone kind, what would you actually want most? Might it be something simpler than riches?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI