Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Everyone says the holy name over and over — 'Ram, Ram' — but just saying it doesn't hand you the One.
It's when grace lets the One actually settle into your mind that the saying starts to bear fruit.
Saying holy words is not the same as meaning them. raam raam sabh ko kahai — everyone says "Raam, Raam," a name for God. kahi-ai raam na ho-ay — but just saying it does not bring you to the One.
The verse does not scold the practice. It points to the heart of it. Words on the tongue come alive when the One has come "to dwell in the mind."
Think of saying "sorry" to your brother without meaning it. The word is right, but nothing changes. When you truly mean it, the same word heals. In the same way, a holy name has no magic power apart from love. The fruit grows in a heart where the One lives, gur parsaadee — by the Guru's grace.
Have you ever said the 'right words' without feeling them? What makes the difference between the two?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI