ਨਾਮੁ ਮਿਲੈ ਚਲੈ ਮੈ ਨਾਲਿ ॥
naam milai chalai mai naal.
I obtain the Naam, which shall go along with me in the end.
ਬਿਨੁ ਨਾਵੈ ਬਾਧੀ ਸਭ ਕਾਲਿ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
bin naavai baaDhee sabh kaal. ||1|| rahaa-o.
Without the Name, all are held in the grip of Death. ||1||Pause||
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
I take hold of the Name, the one thing that will travel with me all the way to the end. Without it, everything else gets caught in the grip of death.
The Name is the one thing that goes with you all the way to the end.
The Rahao. The Naam is, in this shabad, the possession that does not perish -- what the soul carries past death while body, wealth, and reputation are left behind. Everything outside the Name is in death's grip: impermanent, unreal. The refrain sets the whole shabad's economics: invest in what travels with you.
A Question to Sit With
If you could carry only one thing through your whole life, what would you want it to be?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI
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