Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
There is only One. And the One is found by the True Guru's grace — a gift that is always here, waiting for an open heart.
The Guru is the Keeper of the World. The Guru is the Master of all.
The Guru is kind, and always ready to forgive.
The Guru is every holy book and every holy practice. The Guru is the sacred place I travel to.
Everything holy is gathered together in the Guru.
These words are from Guru Arjan, the fifth Guru. They open a solhaa, a long song of about sixteen verses. At the top is Ik Oankaar, Satgur Parsaad: "One Creator, known by the True Guru's grace."
The Guru is the one who leads us from darkness into light. Here the Guru is called by great names of the One. Gur Gopaal: the Guru is the Keeper of the World. Gur Govindaa: the Guru is the Master of all. The Guru is kind and always ready to forgive.
Then comes a big idea. The holy books, the old rituals and the sacred places people travel to are all gathered into the Guru. The living teaching becomes the journey.
Think of a library card. You do not have to carry every book home. One small card opens the whole library to you. The Guru is like that. There is nowhere else you need to go.
Where do you already have something sacred close by, without having to travel far?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI