Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
**S** — this letter stands for *Sat*, which means real, true, and lasting. True, true, truly real is the One. And nothing and no one is ever separate from it.
Those who feel drawn to take shelter in it — they were drawn there by the One itself. They keep it in mind, again and again, and sing its goodness out loud for others to hear.
Worry and confusion cannot get a grip on them. They see the glory of the One shining right out in the open. These are the good and wise ones, who reach the destination. I would give anything to be near them.
Now the acrostic proper begins, with the letter Sassa (S) — chosen because it opens Sat, "true." The section hammers the word three times: sat, sat, sat — the One is real in a way nothing else is. In this project's lens, Sat means real, genuine, permanent — the opposite of the flimsy, washable "reality" of ego and status. The lovely detail is the second line: sat purakh tay bhinn na ko-oo — no one is separate from the True One. So the "shelter" people run to is not somewhere else; it is recognizing what they already belong to. The one whose confusion (sansai bharam) has lifted sees the glory pargat — manifest, out in the open, not hidden. Guru Arjan closes as he often does, bowing to such people: sad balihaaraa, "forever a sacrifice."
What feels most solid and real to you when everything else seems to change or wash away?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI