Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
When I quietly turn my mind toward the One, right where I am, it is as if I have already washed clean at every sacred river in the world. The real journey is inward.
The holiest trip you can take is the one inward, and it starts right where you are.
Guru Arjan gives pilgrimage a new meaning. A pilgrimage is a journey to a holy place. Sagal tirath majan isnaan — bathing at all the tirath, the holy places by sacred rivers. He says that blessing is found in prabh kay charan man maahi dhi-aan. That means holding the Feet of the One in your mind, in quiet meditation.
Think of someone who saves up for years to travel to a famous place, only to find that what they were looking for was at home the whole time.
Sikhs have long seen a fairness in this line. It does not matter who you are, what caste or family you were born into, or whether you can afford to travel. The poorest person, who can never make the journey, already carries the whole pilgrimage inside.
The verse questions leaning on outward ritual alone, in any tradition. It is never aimed at a people or a faith.
Where do you go, in your own mind, when you want to feel clean and calm inside?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI