Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
People of every rank and every kind - all of them cross over through the one Name.
Guru Nanak says, plainly: whoever listens is carried across.
The one Name carries everyone across, whatever group they were born into.
In old India, society sorted people into four groups by birth. These groups are called castes. Khatree were rulers and warriors. Braahman were priests and teachers. Vais were traders and farmers. Sood were workers who served others, and they were often looked down on.
The verse names all four in one breath. Sabh aykai naam taraanath: all of them cross over through the one Name. No group gets a special door.
Think of a swimming pool on a hot day. It does not ask whose family you come from before it cools you off. Everyone who jumps in gets wet.
And the last line: whoever listens to the Guru's teaching is carried across. That is the heart of this shabad. The way is open to everyone equally.
Why do you think the same door is meant to be open to everyone?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI