Sikhism·Raag Maaroo·Shabad 140
Verse 4 of 21

Beyond Any Single Shape

ਸ੍ਰੀ ਰਾਮਚੰਦ ਜਿਸੁ ਰੂਪੁ ਨ ਰੇਖਿਆ ॥
saree raamchand jis roop na raykh-i-aa.
You are the Great Raam Chand, who has no form or feature.
ਬਨਵਾਲੀ ਚਕ੍ਰਪਾਣਿ ਦਰਸਿ ਅਨੂਪਿਆ ॥
banvaalee chakarpaan daras anoopi-aa.
Adorned with flowers, holding the chakra in Your hand, Your form is incomparably beautiful.
ਸਹਸ ਨੇਤ੍ਰ ਮੂਰਤਿ ਹੈ ਸਹਸਾ ਇਕੁ ਦਾਤਾ ਸਭ ਹੈ ਮੰਗਾ ॥੪॥
sahas naytar moorat hai sahsaa ik daataa sabh hai mangaa. ||4||
You have thousands of eyes, and thousands of forms. You alone are the Giver, and all are beggars of You. ||4||

Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa

In plain words

People picture the divine as Raam, crowned with flowers, and yet the truth has no single shape or outline at all.

A thousand eyes, a thousand forms, and still beyond every one of them.

Only One is the Giver; everyone else, everywhere, is receiving.

Every picture points at the One, and the One is bigger than every picture.
The deeper layer

The One is named in vivid forms and yet has no single form at all.

Raamchand and chakarpaan, the holder of the discus, are pictures people love. Yet the One is roop na raykh-i-aa, without form or outline. Sahas naytar, a thousand eyes and a thousand forms, means the One is present in every form. Underneath it all: ik daataa sabh hai mangaa, one Giver, and everyone receiving.

A Question to Sit With

What is a picture or image that helps you feel wonder?

Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI

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