Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
The One is beyond all our labels and descriptions, yet every real goodness answers to that One.
And the person who quietly sets self-importance aside is the one who truly reflects on the One.
This is the center of the shabad: set your self-importance aside, and you can truly see the One.
This line is the Rahao, the "pause" line, the hinge the whole hymn turns on. Nirgun raam gunah vas ho-ay — the One is nirgun, beyond every quality, past anything we can describe. And yet every gun, every good quality, belongs to the One. The One is beyond everything and also the source of every goodness, both at once.
Think of sunlight. It has no color you can point to, yet every color in a rainbow comes from it.
The practice is simple. Aap nivaar — set the self-importance aside. Beechaaray so-ay — that person truly reflects on the One. Clearing out the self is what makes real reflection possible.
Have you noticed how much clearer you can think about something once you stop needing to be right about it?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI