Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
The soul who has grown rich in good qualities finds the One. She makes her "jewelry" out of loving reverence and awe of Him — that's her real adornment. Serving the True Teacher, she is forever a joyful, loved soul-bride, absorbed in the true teaching.
This verse says the soul wins the Beloved's heart with inner goodness, and wears love and wonder as its jewels.
Guru Amar Das uses a much-loved picture: the soul as a kaaman, a bride longing for her Beloved, the One. This is the voice of Raag Maajh, the song of a soul who already loves and longs to be close. The verse asks: what makes the soul lovely to the Beloved?
The world would say outer beauty — jewelry, fine clothes. But look at what this bride wears. Bhai bhaa-ay seegaar banaa-ay — she makes her seegaar, her bridal jewelry, out of bhai and bhaa-ay. Bhai here means deep respect and wonder, the feeling you get looking up at a huge starry sky. Bhaa-ay means love. Her jewels are love and wonder. This follows the True Court picture from the start of the shabad. The soul becomes lovely to the One not by decorating the outside but by filling the inside with love.
The first line says what truly draws the One: kaaman gunvantee har paa-ay — the soul who is gunvantee, rich in good qualities like kindness, truth and humility, finds the One. The shabad already said that praising good qualities helps us take them on. Now the soul is full of them, and goodness finds the Good One. Union is not won by showing off. It is the natural pull between a soul made lovely inside and the One who is love.
The reward is a tender word: sadaa sohagan — forever a sohagan, a happy, cherished bride whose Beloved stays near. She does not worry that her Beloved will leave. Satgur sayv — by serving the True Guru — she is secure, sach updays samaavani-aa, soaked in the true teaching. So the picture is clear: we become beautiful to the One by growing good inside, and wearing love and wonder as our only jewels.
If your truest "good qualities" were the jewelry everyone could see, what would you be wearing right now — and what would you want to be wearing?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI