Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
There is only One. Its Name is Truth. It is the Creator of all. It is fearless and full of love, beyond time, never born, shining on its own. And the One is found by the Guru's grace — a gift that is always here, waiting for an open heart.
When I rest my hopes in the One, so many good things open up for me -- more than I could ever count.
The One knows everything that happens inside me, and not the tiniest bit of my effort is ever wasted.
So I place my hope in the One, because the One lives inside everything and everyone there is.
Rest your hope in the One, and not one sesame seed of your effort is lost.
This is the opening verse of Raag Gond, and it carries the full opening mangal -- Ik Onkaar, Sat Naam, and the rest -- reminding us that the One we hope in is fearless, without hatred, beyond time and birth. The word threading through the whole shabad is aas (hope). Guru Ram Das builds everything around one question: where do you put your hope? He answers first with the promise -- hope in the One opens anayk anayk fal (countless fruits) -- and then with a quiet reassurance: ghaali-aa kisai kaa ik til na gavaa-ee, not one sesame-seed's worth of anyone's honest effort is ever lost. Because the One is sabh meh samaa-ee (present in all), hoping in the One is never hoping in something far away.
What is something you are hoping for right now, and where are you placing that hope?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI