Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
For the one turned toward the teaching, the Name itself is all the status, honor, and greatness a person could want. The pull of the passing show loses its grip. And Nanak says: without the Name, even the cleverest tricks come to nothing.
This one says your true worth comes from the Name, not from birth or rank.
The last verse crowns the hymn with a truth that levels caste. Gurmukh jaat pat naamay vadi-aa-ee — for the gurmukh, jaat, pat, and vadi-aa-ee are found in the Name alone. Jaat is the social group, or caste, a person is born into. Pat is honor. Vadi-aa-ee is greatness.
In one line, Guru Amar Das moves honor and greatness away from the family you were born into. He places them in the Name. It can be read as a strong Sikh challenge to ranking people by birth. Think of a team where your place depends on how you play, not on whose kid you are.
Saa-ir kee putree bidaar gavaa-ee — the "daughter of the ocean" loses her hold. That is Maya, the passing sparkle of the world. And the last word: naanak bin naavai jhoothee chaturaa-ee — Nanak says, without the Name, even the cleverest tricks are hollow. Nanak's name here closes Guru Amar Das's second hymn.
If a person's real worth comes from the goodness inside them, not their rank or family, how does that change who you look up to?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI