Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
In the One's home, the great turtle is the bed frame, strung with the cords of the thousand-headed snake.
All the plants of the earth are the flower-girls, and nine hundred sixty million clouds carry the water.
The Ganges River is the One's sweat.
The seven seas are the water-jars.
All the creatures of the world are the dishes and cups of the house.
Such is the King, the Master of the three worlds.
The biggest things you know are everyday items in the One's home.
Jaa chai ghar koormaa — the great turtle from the old stories, said to hold up the world, is just the frame of the bed. Sahsar fanee baasak — Baasak, the thousand-headed snake, is its woven cords. Old stories of the universe become furniture.
Athaarah bhaar banaaspatee maalnee — all the plants of the earth are the flower-girls. Chhinvai karorhee maygh maalaa — nine hundred sixty million clouds carry the water. Sursaree, the holy river Ganga, is only His sweat. Sapat samund — the seven seas are the water-jars.
Picture a kitchen where the oceans sit on a shelf like jugs. The things people call huge and sacred are ordinary items in that home. And then the last line: aytay jee-a jaa chai vartanee — every living being is one of the household's everyday dishes and cups. No creature is left outside.
What is the largest thing you can imagine? Can you picture something that holds even that?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI