Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Dwell only on the beautiful Name of the One — the very form of nectar and reality.
Remember it, and the fear of birth, aging and death won't trouble you.
This line says that keeping the One's Name in mind takes away our biggest fears.
It is the rahaa-o, the "pause" line, the center of the shabad (hymn). Kayval raam naam — dwell only on the beautiful Name of the One. The Name is amrit, sweet nectar, and it is what is truly real.
What does it give? Freedom from the fear of janam, being born; jaraa, growing old; and maran, dying. Everyone has these three fears. Life starts out fragile. Bodies get older. Every life has an end.
Remembering the One who never dies does not pretend these things won't happen. It gives us something steady to stand on. Think of a lighthouse in a storm. The waves still crash, but the lighthouse does not move, and the boats find their way home by it. Anchor yourself in what never grows old, and the fear loosens.
Which of these — vulnerability, aging, or dying — weighs on you most? What steadies you against it?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI