Sikhism·Raag Gauree·Shabad 3
Verse 2 of 4

The One Stays Larger Than Every Description

ਕਹਣਾ ਹੈ ਕਿਛੁ ਕਹਣੁ ਨ ਜਾਇ ॥
kahnaa hai kichh kahan na jaa-ay.
He has been described, but He cannot be described at all.
ਤਉ ਕੁਦਰਤਿ ਕੀਮਤਿ ਨਹੀ ਪਾਇ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
ta-o kudrat keemat nahee paa-ay. ||1|| rahaa-o.
Your All-pervading creative nature cannot be estimated. ||1||Pause||

Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa

In plain words

People describe the One, and still the One cannot be described. Your creative power flows through everything, more than anyone could ever measure.

We keep describing the One, and the One keeps being larger than every description.
The deeper layer

This is the Rahao, the "pause" line. It is the center of the whole shabad. Its point is simple: however much we say about the One, there is always more.

Kahnaa hai kichh kahan na jaa-ay — we try to describe the One, and still the One cannot be described. Kudrat is the One's creative power. It makes the whole universe and lives inside it. Nobody can measure it or put a price on it.

Think of describing the ocean to a friend who has never seen it. You can say a lot, and all of it is true. But standing on the beach is still so much more. So we keep speaking of the One, and our words always fall short. Wonder lives right in that gap.

A Question to Sit With

Is there something real and important that is impossible to fully put into words? What is it?

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

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