Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Serve the One, O my soul — the Giver who keeps giving, and who forgives.
Every stumble and mistake melts away in remembrance of the One who holds the whole universe.
A holy person has shown me the way, and I carry the Guru's word like a quiet song inside.
Next to the One, the world's flavors go flat — it is the One my heart loves.
So Nanak says: hold the One close, remembering the Source that gave you your very life and breath.
Twice the One is named as pure generosity: daataa (the Giver) and bakhsind (the Forgiver). Remembrance — simrat govind — is what dissolves kilvikh, "stumbles and stains." Then guidance: har maarag saadhoo dasi-aa ("the holy one showed the way"), and japee-ai gurmant — carrying the Guru's word like an inner song. Then a taste-test: maa-i-aa su-aad sabh fiki-aa — beside the One, the flavors of maa-i-aa (the glittering, distracting world) go fikaa, "bland." The close returns to the Giver theme: remember jin ditee jind, "the One who gave you your life."
What is something the world says you should want that, when you look closely, feels kind of flat to you?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI