The Gurmukh Way Is the Timeless Current, Not a Fashion

Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa

This verse says the way of the gurmukh is as old as time, because it rests on the Word, which never changes.

Gurmukh jug chaaray hai jaataa — the gurmukh is known through all four ages. Jug chaaray, the four ages, is an old Indian way of counting the great stretches of time. It means in every era, always, all through history. So facing the light is not a new idea or a passing fashion. In every age, across all the changing cultures, there have been people who turned toward the light. They have always been recognized as the truly good ones. An earlier shabad said the same.

Why can the gurmukh be recognized in every age? Because of what they are anchored to. Gurmukh an-din sabday raataa — the gurmukh is dyed in the shabad, the Word, day and night. Styles change. Phones, clothes and songs change every few years. But the Word stays the same. So a soul soaked in the Word has the same clear goodness in any century. What makes someone a gurmukh is not when they lived, but what they are soaked in.

The verse ends like the last one did: sabday bhagat karaavani-aa — the Word draws out their bhagat, devotion. Once again, it keeps pride away. The gurmukh's praise and their sadaa nirmal, always-clean heart, are not their own achievements. They are the Word's doing. So the verse weaves three comforts together. The gurmukh way is old as time. It is anchored in the unchanging Word. And it is humble, because the Word does the work. Turning toward the light is not joining a fad. It is stepping into the oldest, truest river there is — one that has carried souls home in every age.