Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
So here's my real question: what is the way to actually sing the praises of the One?
What kind of understanding lets a person cross over all this tangle and swim safely through?
This one is a question, and the question matters.
This is the rahaa-o, the "pause" line, the center of the shabad. It asks two things. kavan so biDh jit raam gun gaa-ay — what is the way to sing the One's praises? kavan so mat jit tarai ih maa-ay — what understanding helps a person swim across?
Notice maa-ay. It means "O mother." It sounds like a child asking a parent for help. Think of a child at the kitchen table asking, "How do I do this one?"
The whole shabad hangs on this honest asking. The questions matter as much as any answer. They show us how to turn toward the search.
What's a question about how to live that you'd really like an answer to?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI