ਆਪੇ ਸਾਹ ਵਡੇ ਪ੍ਰਭ ਸੁਆਮੀ ਹਮ ਵਣਜਾਰੇ ਹਹਿ ਤਾ ਚੇ ॥
aapay saah vaday parabh su-aamee ham vanjaaray heh taa chay.
He Himself is the Great Banker; God is our Lord and Master. I am His petty merchant.
ਮੇਰਾ ਮਨੁ ਤਨੁ ਜੀਉ ਰਾਸਿ ਸਭ ਤੇਰੀ ਜਨ ਨਾਨਕ ਕੇ ਸਾਹ ਪ੍ਰਭ ਸਾਚੇ ॥੪॥੩॥੧੭॥੫੫॥
mayraa man tan jee-o raas sabh tayree jan naanak kay saah parabh saachay. ||4||3||17||55||
My mind, body and soul are all Your capital assets. You, O God, are the True Banker of servant Nanak. ||4||3||17||55||
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
The One itself is the great banker, the master; I am only a small trader. My mind, my body, my soul -- all of it is your capital. You are my true banker.
Even our mind, body, and soul are capital on loan from the great Banker.
The merchant theology seals the shabad (cf. the Banker shabads): the One is the Banker, the soul a petty merchant working entirely with the One's capital -- even mind, body, soul are on loan. Total dependence, framed as a trusted partnership (Naam).
A Question to Sit With
If everything you have is "on loan," how would you want to use it?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI
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