Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
In the heavens, in the depths below, on the earth and across every galaxy, the One is there. It is one same Presence, everywhere.
People everywhere fold their hands and call out to the sacred by many names. All of them are reaching toward Your mercy.
Everywhere there is one Presence, and people everywhere reach out to its kindness.
Surag pa-i-aal mirat bhoo-a mandal sarab samaano aykai ohee. Heaven, the worlds below, the earth, and all the star systems are filled by one Presence.
The next line is warm and wide. Siv siv karat sagal kar joreh — everyone folds their hands and calls out "Shiva, Shiva." Shiva is a name many Hindus use for the divine, and the verse uses it with respect. Then: sarab ma-i-aa thaakur tayree dohee — O kind Master, everyone cries out to You for help.
Think of children at a big gathering calling for their parents, each in their own words. The words are different. The love and the need are the same. Many readers today hear this as an invitation to respect people who seek the sacred in different ways.
How many different names do people around the world use for the sacred — and could they all be pointing at one thing?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI