Sikhism·Raag Kaanraa·Shabad 34
Verse 1 of 3

The One Who Knows The Essence

ਕਾਨੜਾ ਮਹਲਾ ੫ ॥
kaanrhaa mehlaa 5.
Kaanraa, Fifth Mehl:
ਕਹਨ ਕਹਾਵਨ ਕਉ ਕਈ ਕੇਤੈ ॥
kahan kahaavan ka-o ka-ee kaytai.
Many speak and talk about God.
ਐਸੋ ਜਨੁ ਬਿਰਲੋ ਹੈ ਸੇਵਕੁ ਜੋ ਤਤ ਜੋਗ ਕਉ ਬੇਤੈ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
aiso jan birlo hai sayvak jo tat jog ka-o baytai. ||1|| rahaa-o.
But one who understands the essence of Yoga - such a humble servant is very rare||1||Pause||

Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa

In plain words

Many, so many, speak and talk about the One.

But the humble servant who understands the heart of yoga, of being joined with the One, is very rare.

It is rare and precious to know something from inside, beyond talking about it.
The deeper layer

Many people talk about the One; few know from inside what being joined with the One means.

This is the rahaa-o, the "pause" line, the centre of the shabad. Kahan kahaavan ka-o ka-ee kaytai: many, so many, speak and get others speaking. Aiso jan birlo hai sayvak jo tat jog ka-o baytai: rare is the servant who knows the essence of union. Jog is yoga, a word that means joining. Knowing from inside is different from talking about it, the way swimming is different from reading about water.

A Question to Sit With

What is something you understand deeply because you have lived it, not just heard it?

Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI

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