ਪਉਣੁ ਗੁਰੂ ਪਾਣੀ ਪਿਤ ਜਾਤਾ ॥
pa-un guroo paanee pit jaataa.
Air is the Guru, and water is known to be the father.
ਉਦਰ ਸੰਜੋਗੀ ਧਰਤੀ ਮਾਤਾ ॥
udar sanjogee Dhartee maataa.
The womb of the great mother earth gives birth to all.
ਰੈਣਿ ਦਿਨਸੁ ਦੁਇ ਦਾਈ ਦਾਇਆ ਜਗੁ ਖੇਲੈ ਖੇਲਾਈ ਹੇ ॥੧੦॥
rain dinas du-ay daa-ee daa-i-aa jag khaylai khaylaa-ee hay. ||10||
Night and day are the two nurses, male and female; the world plays in this play. ||10||
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
The air is like a teacher, breathing life into me. Water is like a father, and the wide earth is like a gentle mother who holds us all.
Day and night are like two kind caretakers, rocking the world to sleep and waking it again.
And held in all that care, the whole world plays.
The whole world is cared for like a child by air, water, and earth.
Air as guru, water as father, earth as mother, day and night as nurses: the same beloved image closes the morning prayer Japji. The whole cosmos becomes a caring family.
A Question to Sit With
Which feels most like a caretaker to you: the air, the water, or the earth?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI
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