Sikhism·Raag Maaroo·Shabad 67
Verse 7 of 9

The Pearl Worth Diving For

ਖਾਰ ਸਮੁਦ੍ਰੁ ਢੰਢੋਲੀਐ ਇਕੁ ਮਣੀਆ ਪਾਵੈ ॥
khaar samudar dhandholee-ai ik manee-aa paavai.
Searching the salty sea, one finds the pearl.
ਦੁਇ ਦਿਨ ਚਾਰਿ ਸੁਹਾਵਣਾ ਮਾਟੀ ਤਿਸੁ ਖਾਵੈ ॥
du-ay din chaar suhaavanaa maatee tis khaavai.
It looks beautiful for a few days, but in the end, it is eaten away by dust.
ਗੁਰੁ ਸਾਗਰੁ ਸਤਿ ਸੇਵੀਐ ਦੇ ਤੋਟਿ ਨ ਆਵੈ ॥੬॥
gur saagar sat sayvee-ai day tot na aavai. ||6||
If one serves the Guru, the ocean of Truth, the gifts one receives never run short. ||6||

Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa

In plain words

You can dive the whole wide sea and come up with a single pearl, lovely for a few days, then worn away.

But there is a deeper ocean, the Guru, the ocean of Truth. Dive there, and the treasure you bring up never runs out.

Dive in the ocean of Truth for a treasure that never wears away.
The deeper layer

A pearl fades, but the Guru's ocean of Truth gives forever.

Khaar samudar dhandholee-ai ik manee-aa paavai — search the salty sea, and you may find one pearl. Du-ay din chaar suhaavanaa — it looks lovely for a few days. Then maatee tis khaavai, the dust wears it away. The pearl is a picture of anything that does not last.

Gur saagar sat sayvee-ai — serve the Guru, the ocean of Truth. Day tot na aavai — those gifts never run short. Think of a new toy that is exciting for a week, next to a friendship that lasts a lifetime.

A Question to Sit With

What is a treasure that lasts, versus one that is lovely for a few days?

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

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