Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
They ask for one thing only: the living Word, like a single handful of food. And staying awake inside — clear-seeing, still, truly alive — becomes the whole way they walk.
A real seeker asks for only one gift: the Word.
Ayk sabad ik bhikhi-aa maagai — they beg for one thing only, the one sabad. Sabad, or Shabad, means the Word, the Guru's living teaching.
In those days, yogis went from door to door holding out a bowl for food. Guru Nanak keeps that picture but changes what goes in the bowl. The only gift worth asking for is the Word.
Then gi-aan dhi-aan, wisdom and quiet focus, keep the seeker jaagai, awake. Awake here means alert inside, noticing the One. Think of a lifeguard who stays watchful through the whole shift. That kind of wakefulness is the true way to live.
If you could ask for just one thing to keep your heart awake, what would it be?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI