Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
The One is the very life of my soul, the breath in me, the thing my whole mind leans on. Those who love the One stay alive by singing its endless wonders — it is what keeps them going. The Name is a treasure full of every good quality, sweet as nectar. And by holding it in my heart, again and again and again, I have found peace.
This verse says the One isn't something we own. The One is what keeps us alive.
"Jee-a paraan parabh maneh aDhaaraa" — God is the life of my soul, my breath, and the support of my mind. Jee-a means soul or life. Paraan means breath. ADhaaraa means support, the thing you lean on. So the One isn't like a toy you have. The One is what you're made of and what holds you up. Take that away and there's no life, no breath, nothing to stand on. An earlier song in this raag uses the picture of a fish in water. Take the fish out, and it can't live.
"Bhagat jeeveh gun gaa-ay apaaraa" — the bhagat, those who love the One, live by singing the praises of the Infinite. Look at that verb: jeeveh, they live. They don't sing as a hobby. They sing the way you eat or breathe. Another song in this raag says, "remembering, I live."
Then the Name is called "gun niDhaan amrit har naamaa." NiDhaan is a treasure chest. Gun are good qualities. Amrit is nectar, the sweet drink that never runs out. So the Name is a chest full of every goodness, and a sweet drink too.
And the practice: "har Dhi-aa-ay Dhi-aa-ay sukh paa-i-aa" — remembering, remembering the One, I found peace. The word is doubled, like steady footsteps. That's simran, remembering again and again. Everything else in the song grows from this: the One is the breath you live on, and peace comes from keeping the One in mind.
The devotees "stay alive by singing" — as if remembrance were as necessary as breathing. Is there anything in your life that feels that essential, that you couldn't live without?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI