Sikhism·Raag Dhanaasaree·Shabad 38
Verse 5 of 5

The Name Is the Feast I Live On

ਸੀਤਲ ਸਾਂਤਿ ਮਹਾ ਸੁਖੁ ਪਾਇਆ ਸੰਤਸੰਗਿ ਰਹਿਓ ਓਲ੍ਹ੍ਹਾ ॥
seetal saaNt mahaa sukh paa-i-aa satsang rahi-o olHaa.
I have found total peace and tranquility in the Society of the Saints; my honor has been preserved.
ਹਰਿ ਧਨੁ ਸੰਚਨੁ ਹਰਿ ਨਾਮੁ ਭੋਜਨੁ ਇਹੁ ਨਾਨਕ ਕੀਨੋ ਚੋਲ੍ਹ੍ਹਾ ॥੪॥੮॥
har Dhan sanchan har naam bhojan ih naanak keeno cholHaa. ||4||8||
To gather in the Lord's wealth, and to taste the food of the Lord's Name - Nanak has made this his feast. ||4||8||

Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa

In plain words

In the Sangat I found deep peace and calm, and my dignity was kept safe.

Gathering the treasure of Your Name and tasting it like food — this I have made my feast.

The Name is not a rule to keep but a meal to live on.
The deeper layer

The Name becomes the food I live on, every single day.

Seetal saaNt mahaa sukh paa-i-aa — I found cool, deep peace. Satsang rahi-o olHaa — in satsang, the Sangat — people gathered together to remember the One — my honor was kept safe.

Then the Name becomes nourishment. Har Dhan sanchan har naam bhojan — gather the Name like wealth, and eat it like food. Nanak makes it his cholHaa, his feast. Here the life of the spirit is pictured as a family table rather than a fast. It is something you live on every day.

A Question to Sit With

What is something good that nourishes you a little every single day?

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

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