Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
I am filled with wonder, wonder, wonder, dyed in the deep crimson of my Beloved.
Nanak says: the holy ones taste this sweetness the way someone who cannot speak tastes candy, and only smiles.
The deepest joy is so full that no words can hold it, only a smile.
Bisam bisam bisam hee bha-ee hai: "wonder, wonder, wonder, I am filled with wonder." Bisam means amazement. Saying it three times shows a heart overflowing.
Then: laal gulaal rangaarai, "dyed deep red." Laal and gulaal are rich, bright reds. Picture white cloth dipped in red dye until the color soaks all the way through. Love of the One colors the whole heart like that.
The last picture is gentle and a little funny: ji-o chaakh goongaa muskaarai, "like a person who cannot speak, who tastes sweet candy and only smiles." Goongaa means someone who cannot speak. They cannot describe the taste, but their smile says everything. It is the feeling behind Wahe, the Sikh cry of wonder. Some joys are like that. You can only smile.
When was the last time something left you smiling with no words for it?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI