Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
My darling, cherisher of the whole world, kind one, full of color and delight — you are deep, deep beyond measuring, endless, the lord of everything. You are higher than the highest, deeper than any bottom, without any limit. And here is the simple truth of my life: every time I remember you, every time, I come alive again.
This verse calls the One both "my darling" and "the Endless," in the same breath, and says remembering this One keeps me alive.
It is a string of names, like beads on a necklace, and the way they are strung together is the lesson. It puts the close-to-your-heart right beside the never-ending. Laal means "my darling, my beloved," the tender word you'd use for your dearest one. Rangeelay means "the colorful, joyful, playful One." Right beside these warm names sit the huge ones. Gahir gambheer means "deep and still." Bay-ant means "without end." Ooch athaah means "high beyond high, with no bottom." The One is your darling and also beyond all measuring.
This pairing matters a lot. A God who is only huge can feel cold and far away. A God who is only cozy can feel small. Guru Arjan doesn't choose. The same One who is athaah, too deep to find the bottom of, is also laal, your sweetheart. It's a bit like looking up at a sky full of stars while holding the hand of someone you love. You can love the One up close and stand in wonder at the One's vastness, both at once.
The last line gives the practice that holds these together. Simar simar ha-o jeevaan means "remembering, remembering, I live." Simran is remembering the One. Not "I feel a bit better." I live. Saying simar twice gives the rhythm of remembering, the Name held breath by breath. The claim is complete: remembering isn't one more activity in life. It is what makes the seeker truly alive. To remember the One, darling and endless at once, is to be really living.
That ending, "I live," will echo through the shabad. Each verse adds another thing remembering brings: life, then coolness, then nectar, then the crossing to the far shore.
Is there someone or something that, just by bringing it to mind, makes you feel more alive? What is it like to "remember" your way back to feeling fully here?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI