Sikhism·Raag Gauree·Shabad 271
Verse 9 of 9

Only the One Who Tasted That Ease Truly Knows

ਸਹਜੇ ਜਾ ਕਉ ਪਰਿਓ ਕਰਮਾ ॥
sehjay jaa ka-o pari-o karmaa.
With intuitive ease, they meet the Lord, according to their karma.
ਸਹਜੇ ਗੁਰੁ ਭੇਟਿਓ ਸਚੁ ਧਰਮਾ ॥
sehjay gur bhayti-o sach Dharmaa.
With intuitive ease, they meet with the Guru, in the true Dharma.
ਜਾ ਕੈ ਸਹਜੁ ਭਇਆ ਸੋ ਜਾਣੈ ॥
jaa kai sahj bha-i-aa so jaanai.
Those who know, attain the poise of intuitive peace.
ਨਾਨਕ ਦਾਸ ਤਾ ਕੈ ਕੁਰਬਾਣੈ ॥੮॥੩॥
naanak daas taa kai kurbaanai. ||8||3||
Slave Nanak is a sacrifice to them. ||8||3||

Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa

In plain words

Grace comes, and a person meets the One, and lives the true, good way of things.

Grace comes, and they meet the teaching that is real. Only the one who has tasted this ease truly knows it -- and Nanak gives his whole heart to them.

Grace lets a person meet the One and live the true way -- and only the one who has tasted that ease truly knows it.
The deeper layer

This is the closing verse. It says that only the one who has tasted this ease truly knows it.

It ties the whole list of ease back to grace. Sehjay jaa ka-o pari-o karmaa — in ease they meet the One, as their karam, what is given to them, unfolds. Here that giving is grace, meeting a heart that is ready.

Sehjay gur bhayti-o sach Dharmaa — in ease they meet the Guru, in the true Dharam, the true way of living.

Then a lovely note of humility. Jaa kai sahj bha-i-aa so jaanai — only the one who has come into this ease knows it. You cannot explain it from the outside. It is like the taste of a mango. Someone can describe it all day, but you only know it when you take a bite.

Naanak daas taa kai kurbaanai — Nanak, the servant, gives himself completely to such a person.

A Question to Sit With

Is there something you understand deeply only because you have actually felt it, not just heard about it?

Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI

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