Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
The Guru's word lives right beside my soul.
Water cannot drown it, no thief can steal it, and no fire can burn it.
The Guru's Word is a treasure nothing can take away.
This is the Rahao, the "pause" line at the center of the shabad. Gur kaa bachan basai jee-a naalay — the Guru's Word lives right beside the soul. Bachan means word or teaching.
Then come three pictures of things that cannot touch it. Water cannot sink it. Thieves cannot steal it. Fire cannot burn it.
Think of the things you know by heart, like a favorite poem or your family's stories. No one can take those out of your backpack. Inner treasure stays safe from every kind of loss that outer things can suffer.
What is something you've learned that no one could ever take away from you?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI