Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Something in me is always reaching for the One. My mind keeps turning that way, the way a plant turns toward the light, quietly, on its own.
Day and night I feel a kind of thirst for it — a longing to see and be near the source of everything. And I keep wondering: is there a wise friend, someone who has already found this, who could bring the One a little closer to me?
When you truly long for the One, your whole mind leans that way, like a plant toward light.
This is the Rahao, the "pause" line. It is the center of the shabad, the thought every other verse comes back to. It sets a mood of longing. Har paykhan ka-o simrat man mayraa — my mind remembers and reaches out to see the One.
Aas pi-aasee means hope that feels like thirst. It is not a small wish. It is the ache of someone who cannot be satisfied by anything smaller. Think of being really thirsty on a hot day. A cookie will not help; only water will.
The last line brings in the sant, the wise friend. Hai ko-ee sant milaavai nayraa — is there a wise one who can bring the One near me? The sant is the human bridge, someone who has already found what the seeker is reaching for. This longing is the engine that drives the whole shabad.
Is there something you long for so steadily that your thoughts keep drifting back to it on their own?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI