Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
In good times, hold the One close; in bad times, hold the One close; never forget it.
Saying the Name, the light of a million suns shines, and the darkness of doubt is scattered.
This is the shabad's great teaching, and one of the most practical in the raag: "in good times worship, in bad times worship" — the same in both. Most of us remember the One only in trouble (foxhole prayers) or forget it entirely in good fortune. Guru Arjan counsels the steady middle: constancy through both, so that neither success makes you forget nor hardship makes you despair. The one who holds the One in both weathers has an anchor that the swings of fortune cannot move. And the reward is light — "the light of a million suns" — the doubt and darkness scattered by a remembrance that doesn't flicker with circumstances.
Do you tend to only think of what's good when things go wrong? What would it be like to hold onto it steadily, in both good times and hard ones?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI