Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
There is only One. And the One is found by the True Guru's grace — a gift that is always here, waiting for an open heart.
O people of the town, everyone knows my caste: I am a chamaar, a leather-worker who makes shoes.
In my heart I treasure the good qualities of the One, Raam, the Lord of the Universe.
What you carry in your heart matters more than any label the world gives you.
This is the rahaa-o, the pause line, the center of the shabad. Naagar janaan, mayree jaat bikhi-aat chamaaran: townspeople, my caste is well known; I am a chamaar, a leather-worker. Society called this work the lowest. Ravidas says it openly, without shame. Ridai raam gobind gun saaran: in his heart, ridai, he treasures the good qualities, gun, of Raam and Gobind, names for the One. His dignity is claimed, never begged for. Every person has the same worth.
What is something true about you that a stranger would never guess just by looking?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI