Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Whoever drinks the sweet nectar of the Naam has their confusion and doubt simply melt away. By the Guru's grace, they become truly free. Soaked in loving devotion, they stay wonderfully steady and unhooked from craving — and by letting the loud "me" quiet down, they merge completely with the One.
This verse names the cure: a drink that clears the mind. Api-o pee-ai so bharam gavaa-ay — whoever drinks this nectar loses their confusion.
Api-o means nectar, the amrit of the Naam, the Name. If Maya is the spell that puts the world to sleep, the Name is the drink that wakes it. The first thing it clears away is bharam, doubt: a mind that can't settle because it isn't sure what's real. Drink deeply of the One, and the confusion isn't argued away. It just lifts, the way fog clears when the sun comes up.
The fruit is mukat, freedom. It comes gur parsaad, by the Guru's grace, not by force of will. And look at what freedom looks like in the next line. It isn't floating off to heaven. It is being bairaagee — steady, unhooked from craving — while staying soaked in love. Bhagtee rataa sadaa bairaagee — dyed in devotion, always free. You are full of love for the One. Because you are full, the world can't yank you around. Like a kid who just ate a big lunch walking past the candy aisle — it doesn't pull at them the same way.
The last phrase ties the shabad together: aap maar milaavani-aa — quieting the proud self, one is joined to the One. Aap here means the separate, selfish "me." This is the "dying while alive" of the first verse, back as the key. The "light into Light" of the opening happens when that "me" goes quiet. You don't add something to reach the One. You lower the one thing in the way. The self isn't an enemy to hate. It is a wall to lower. Lower it, and you find the Beloved was standing right there all along.
Can you think of a time you wanted something so badly it controlled your mood all day? What would it feel like to be free of that grip — not by getting it, but by being full of something better?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI