Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
The masters and the seekers go looking for the One.
Even the great gods Brahma and Indra hold Him in their hearts.
Millions upon millions of heavenly beings search for Him everywhere.
Yet that very same One is found by an ordinary person who meets a true teacher, and begins to sing His praises from the heart.
This one says what the mightiest seekers search for is found by a humble heart that meets the Guru and sings.
Guru Arjan builds this verse like a surprise ending. First he piles up the greatest seekers you can imagine. SaaDhik siDh jisai ka-o firday — the siDh, masters of yoga, and the saaDhik, the seekers, go looking for the One. Barahmay indar Dhi-aa-in hirday — Brahma and Indra, two of the great gods in old Indian stories, hold the One in their hearts. Kot tayteesaa khojeh taa ka-o — millions upon millions of heavenly beings search for Him. He stacks them high to show how huge the search is. All the masters and all the heavens, hunting for the One.
Then comes the turn: gur mil hirdai gaavani-aa — meeting the Guru, a person sings His praises in the heart. The heavenly beings search and search. The humble heart simply meets the Guru and sings, and there the One is. It's like a whole team with fancy maps looking for a lost puppy, while a small child just calls its name and the puppy comes running.
This opens the door to everyone. The raag has said elsewhere that even the gods are seekers too, not the end of the road. That isn't said to make light of anyone. It says the One is greater than every form. What great power can't grab, a humble heart receives through love and grace. You don't need to be a master or a heavenly being. You need a true teacher and a singing heart. The treasure that all of heaven works so hard for is handed freely to simple love.
Why do you think the deepest things so often come to the humble rather than the powerful?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI