Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Millions of gifts to charity, cleansing baths, and countless acts of purity bring a reward.
That reward is gained, Nanak, by saying the One's Name with your tongue. Every wrong is washed away.
This part says that simply saying the Name from the heart outweighs every grand religious act.
A salok is a short verse. In this one, Guru Arjan weighs all of outer religion on one side. Kot daan isnaanan — millions of gifts to charity and holy baths. Anik soDhan pavitartah — countless acts of purifying. On the other side he places saying the Name. And the Name weighs more. We heard the same idea in Guru Ram Das's shabads earlier in this raag: the inward turn.
This opens the door to everyone. You don't need money to give, or a way to travel to holy rivers, or skill in long ceremonies. Uchrant naanak har har rasnaa — you need a tongue that says the Name, and a heart behind it.
Think of a handmade birthday card next to an expensive gift. What makes it precious is the love inside. The humblest practice reaches what all the grand ones aim at. What matters was always inside, and the Name is what matters.
Why might the simplest, most available practice reach as deep as the grandest, most expensive one?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI