Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
O my mind, say the Name of the One who lives within you.
The merciful One poured kindness on me; the teacher gave me wisdom, and my mind was taught.
In this hard age, singing the One's praise brings the most noble state; the One is found through the true teacher. I would give anything for the teacher, who revealed the hidden Name to me.
This part says the fullness an empty heart misses was inside all along.
The "Pause" line (rahaa-o) is the center of the shabad. Mayray man jap raam naam har maajhaa — O my mind, repeat the Name of the One who is within you. The answer to the dry wasteland was never far away. It was within, waiting to be remembered.
Then Guru Ram Das makes a point he loves. He calls this time kaljug (Kali Yuga), a hard and distracted age. In such a time, the way is not fancy ritual or harsh self-denial. It is the simplest thing: har keerat, singing the One's praise. The noisier the world, the simpler the medicine. Think of a loud, restless classroom. A song everyone knows can settle it faster than a lecture.
Gupat naam pargaajhaa — the teacher revealed the hidden Name. Nothing had to be made from scratch. It only had to be uncovered, like the jewel in the raag's first shabad.
If the thing you're missing is already inside you, what would help you notice and 'name' it?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI