Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
I have heard one thing: the One alone is fearless.
Whoever meets the Guru and sings His praises is at peace, glad and steady forever.
I heard one thing worth keeping: only the One is fearless.
This is the rahaa-o, the "pause" line, the center of the shabad. Everything else in the shabad is built around it.
Aykaa nirbha-o baat sunee: "I heard one thing: the One is fearless." Nirbha-o means "without fear." It is the same word found at the very start of the Guru Granth Sahib, in the Mool Mantar, the opening lines that describe the One.
Then it says who is happy and steady. It is the person who meets the Guru and sings the One's goodness. That person is sukhee-aa, at peace, and sadaa suhaylaa, glad and steady forever.
Think of a little kid in a thunderstorm who climbs onto a calm parent's lap. The parent is not afraid, so the kid stops being afraid too. Staying close to the One who is fearless makes us steady.
What is one thing you heard that felt worth keeping?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI