Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
The One made itself, and the One knows itself. It pulled the sky and the earth apart and spread the sky above like a great tent.
With no pillars at all, it holds up the sky, marked by its Word. It made the sun and the moon and filled them with its own light.
It made the night and the day; its plays are full of wonder. It made the holy places of pilgrimage, where people think about doing right and bathe on special days.
There is no one equal to You; how can anyone speak of You? You sit on the throne of Truth, and all the others come and go.
Everything you see is held up by what you cannot see, and only the One stays while all else comes and goes.
Vin thamma gagan rahaa-ay sabad neesaani-aa: without pillars the sky is held, by the sign of the sabad, the Word. Guru Nanak looks up at the sky and sees no pillars, only the One's Word keeping it in place.
The tirath, places of pilgrimage where people bathe and reflect on doing right, are named as part of the made world, alongside sun, moon, night and day. Sachai takhat nivaas: the One is seated on the throne of Truth. Everything else comes and goes.
Think of a mobile hanging over a baby's crib. You see the stars and moons turning, but the string that holds them is almost invisible.
What invisible things are quietly holding your life up right now?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI