Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
From a single speck of its greatness, the One brought forth its incarnations — and even they slid into loving a second.
They ruled like kings and fought over pleasure and pain. Those who serve Shiva and Brahma never find the One's limits. The Fearless, Formless One is unseen — revealed only to the Gurmukh. There, no sorrow or separation touches you; you become steady and deathless in the world.
Even the greatest beings came from just a tiny spark of the One. Only the Fearless, Formless One is the true source.
Ansaa a-utaar upaa-i-on — from a tiny part of the One's greatness came the avtaars, divine beings born in the world. Yet even they fell into bhaa-o doojaa, love of "the second," something other than the One. They ruled like kings and fought over pleasure and pain.
Eesar barahmaa sayvday — those who serve Shiva and Brahma do not find the One's end either. This is not a put-down of anyone's faith. It is a steady point in Guru Nanak's teaching: nothing that was made, however great, is the final source.
Think of the stars in the night sky. They are huge and bright, yet each is only one small part of the whole sky.
The One is nirbha-o nirankaar, Fearless and Formless. The One shows up to the Gurmukh, the person who turns to the Guru. There, no sadness or feeling of being apart can touch you. You become asthir, steady.
What impressive thing might you be treating as ultimate that is really just 'a speck' of something greater?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI