Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Everything that exists is dyed by the Word, colored by the way things truly work — all of it, no exceptions. And all of it is called home, invited into the real presence of the One. My true, gentle One, kind to the small and the struggling: it's the *real* that finally settles my restless mind. Nothing fake ever could.
Only what is real can calm a restless heart. Fake things just leave it hungrier.
This is Guru Nanak's voice. He packs a lot into a few words. This song is an ashtapadee, a song of eight verses.
Sabad rangaa-ay hukam sabaa-ay — by the One's hukam, all are dyed in the sabad. The sabad is the living Word. The hukam is the One's way, how everything truly works. Here they are one and the same. Think of a white shirt dropped into a bucket of color. Every thread takes the color. All of creation is already colored through by the One. We are not trying to get dyed. We already are. We may just not have noticed yet.
Sachee dargeh mahal bulaa-ay — all are called to the palace, the True Court. The invitation home is not just for a special few. Everyone is called. The door is open to all. So the question in the rest of the song is not "Who is invited?" It is "Who answers the invitation, and who walks right past the open door, half asleep?"
Sachay deen da-i-aal mayray saahibaa — my True Master, kind to the humble and the struggling.
Sachay man patee-aavani-aa — only the True One brings peace to the mind. This is Guru Nanak's simple test. Try to fill a restless heart with fake things. Being popular. Screens that keep you scrolling. Fun that fades fast. The heart stays hungry and jumpy. Only sach, the real and lasting, calms it down.
You can try this test yourself. Some things leave you feeling emptier after. Think of how you feel after two hours of scrolling. Other things leave you truly settled. Think of how you feel after helping someone, or a real talk with a friend. That difference is a compass. Guru Nanak begins the whole song by handing you that compass. Follow what truly settles you, not just what excites you.
Think of two things that "satisfied" you recently — one that left you emptier afterward and one that left you genuinely settled. What was the difference?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI