Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
The Ganges, the Jamuna, the Godavari and the Saraswati — these holy rivers long for the dust of the feet of the holy.
People full of wrongs bathe in them, and the rivers fill up with their dirt. The dust of the feet of the holy washes the rivers clean.
Even the holiest rivers long to be near holy, loving people.
India's great rivers are named with respect: the Ganges, the Jamuna, the Godavari and the Saraswati. Many people bathe in them to wash away their wrongs. But the verse says these rivers themselves long for dhoor saadhoo kee, the dust of the feet of the holy.
Dust from someone's feet is a picture of humility. It means being so close to a good person that you'd be happy just to sit where they walk. Think of a river getting muddy from everyone washing in it. What makes it clean again is being near loving, humble hearts. Being close to holy people is the deepest kind of washing.
Who is someone whose company leaves you feeling lighter and cleaner inside?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI