ਬੇਦ ਕਤੇਬੀ ਭੇਦੁ ਨ ਜਾਤਾ ॥
bayd kataybee bhayd na jaataa.
The Vedas and the Bible do not know the mystery of God.
ਨਾ ਤਿਸੁ ਮਾਤ ਪਿਤਾ ਸੁਤ ਭ੍ਰਾਤਾ ॥
naa tis maat pitaa sut bharaataa.
He has no mother, father, child or brother.
ਸਗਲੇ ਸੈਲ ਉਪਾਇ ਸਮਾਏ ਅਲਖੁ ਨ ਲਖਣਾ ਜਾਈ ਹੇ ॥੬॥
saglay sail upaa-ay samaa-ay alakh na lakh-naa jaa-ee hay. ||6||
He created all the mountains, and levels them again; the Unseen Lord cannot be seen. ||6||
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Not the oldest holy books, from any land or people, can fully hold Your secret.
You have no mother or father, no brother or child; You simply are.
You raise up the mountains and smooth them down again, and though I cannot see You with my eyes, You are always here.
No book from any land can hold the whole of the One.
The line naming both the Vedas and the Kateb (the Semitic scriptures) is one of Gurbani's evenhanded reminders that no single scripture, of any tradition, can contain the infinite One. It is a statement of mystery, not of one faith over another.
A Question to Sit With
What is something so big that no single book could ever fully explain it?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI
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