Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
You, my Great One, are beyond reach yet full of mercy — the Great Giver, the One who knows all.
I can see no one as great as You; You are the wise One, and You are what my heart loves.
Everything I get attached to — family, all that I can see — is passing through, coming and going.
Those who fix their hearts on anything but the True One are chasing something that won't last, and their pride in it won't last either.
Nanak says: hold the True One in your heart; without the True One, we simply wear ourselves out without ever understanding.
The One is great and kind, and everything we cling to is only passing through.
The verse opens with a warm call to the One, agam dayaal. Agam means beyond reach. Dayaal means kind. The far-away and the close-by are held together in one breath.
Then it gently says that family, and everything we can see, is chalanhaaraa, passing through. This does not mean turning away from family. The Sikh path is lived at home, with family. It means holding things the right size. Love your family fully, and also know that everything you can see is on the move. Think of a train ride with people you love. You enjoy the trip together, and you know the train keeps moving.
The last line uses a hard picture of things decaying. Its meaning is this: a life tied only to what passes away wears you out, and you never come to understand.
What are some things you love that will change or pass, and what is one thing you feel is always steady underneath?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI