Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Worth everything are the words that speak the living Name. Only a rare few, by the teacher's kindness, truly understand this. Blessed is the time spent singing and listening to the wonders of the One. And the person who came into this life and did that — their whole coming here was worthwhile, accepted, a success.
What makes a life worth living? Guru Arjan gives a simple answer: time spent singing and hearing the Name of the One.
Safal so banee jit naam vakhaanee — fruitful are the words that speak the Name. Safal means "worth it," like a tree that gives fruit. Banee means words. A person says millions of words in a lifetime. Most are gone as soon as they are spoken. The words that carry the Name are the ones that bear fruit.
Gur parsaad kinai virlai jaanee — only a rare person knows this, by the Guru's parsaad (grace, a kind gift). Earlier shabads in this raag say the same honest thing. The truth is open to everyone, yet few really take it in. And taking it in is a gift, not a matter of being clever.
Then the verse turns to life itself. Dhan so vaylaa jit har gaavat sunnaa — blessed is the vaylaa (the time) spent singing and hearing about the One. Aa-ay tay parvaanaa — the coming of such a person is parvaanaa, which means accepted, approved.
Think about how we usually measure a good life. We look at trophies, money, or being famous. The verse looks at one thing. Did you spend your time singing and listening to the One? If you did, your coming into this world gets a big stamp that says "approved."
An earlier shabad called human life a precious chance. This verse says the same. A life spent remembering the One is never wasted, even if it looked ordinary from the outside. And this sets the theme for the whole shabad. A good life is one given to the Name. The next verses will bless each part of the body that serves it.
The verse says your "coming into the world" is a success if you spent your time on the Name. By what measure do you usually judge whether a day was "good"? What if the measure were different?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI