Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
For one who lives turned toward the teaching, giving and serving is the very breath of life. Keep the dear One held close in your heart. Then honor comes — and the true doorway opens wide.
This one says serving others with love is as needed as breathing.
Gurmukh sayvaa paraan aDhaaraa — for the gurmukh, sayvaa is the support of the breath of life. A gurmukh is someone turned toward the Guru's teaching. Sayvaa is selfless service, helping without wanting anything back. For such a person, it is as needed as breathing. In Sikhi, service is not a chore. It is love in action, like helping to serve food to everyone in the langar, the free community kitchen.
Har jee-o raakho hirdai ur Dhaaraa — keep the dear One held in your heart. Gurmukh sobhaa saach du-aaraa — then honor comes, and the true door opens.
Notice the order. Service and love come first. Honor follows on its own. It is never chased. This is how Guru Amar Das begins his hymn about the gurmukh life.
How does it feel to help someone without expecting anything back?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI