Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Let me quietly hold the One who is beyond all limits, the highest reality there is. This understanding does not come from being clever — it comes from the teaching, from a guide who is complete.
Keep the One in mind, and know that this understanding is a gift from the Guru.
This is the Rahao, the "pause" line. It is the center of the whole shabad, the thought everything else circles back to.
Paarbrahm parmaysur names the One as far beyond everything. Paar means across, or beyond. The One is not one being among many. The One is the reality that all beings rest in.
The second line keeps us from getting proud. This mat, understanding, is paa-ee-ai, received, gur pooray tay, from the perfect Guru. It is given, not built by our own clever thinking. Think of a friend showing you the answer key to a puzzle you were stuck on. You did not invent it. You were shown.
When have you understood something not by figuring it out, but because someone patiently showed you?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI