Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Saying the One's Name makes even the mouth that says it holy.
And anyone who sings me the One's praises — that person is my friend, my brother.
This short stanza names two gifts of the Name. First, it sanctifies the one who speaks it: chanting the Name of the Lord of the Universe, one's mouth is sanctified. The mouth — which the Vaar noted is never satisfied by talking, and which so easily spreads bitterness and falsehood — is made holy by being used to say the Name. The instrument of so much idle and harmful speech becomes, in the act of remembrance, sacred. What you habitually say shapes what you are; say the Name, and even the mouth is hallowed.
Second, the Name creates kinship: one who recites to me the Praises of the Lord is my friend and brother. Anyone who shares the praises of the One with the soul becomes, by that sharing, family — friend and brother. This is a beautiful redefinition of kinship: the deepest bonds are not only those of blood but those of shared love for the One. The person who helps you remember, who sings you the praises, who points you toward the Beloved — that person is kin. It is the same warmth found across these Maajh shabads, where the Name and those who share it are called friend, brother, companion. The Name hallows the mouth that speaks it and makes family of those who share it.
Who are your 'friends and brothers' in the sense of those who help you remember what's deepest — and do you treasure them as kin?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI