Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
The real heart of good living and clear wisdom is simple:
in good company, keep the Name of the One.
Holding to the One is the boat that carries you over the wide ocean.
The One, who knows every heart, is the reason behind everything.
Karam dharam ih tat gi-aan — Guru Arjan distills all ritual duty and philosophy to one essence: remembrance in good company (saadhsang). This is the recurring Gond move — boiling elaborate religion down to a single living practice. Bohith (the boat) and saagar (the ocean) are the shabad's crossing-image; kaaran karan, 'the cause of causes,' names the One as the source that everything else flows from.
If you had to sum up 'living well' in one line, what would you say?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI