Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Those humble people who remember the lotus feet of the One: no one else is equal to them.
The One is One, yet has spread out into many forms. Welcome that One in, welcome that One in, the One who fills everything.
The man who writes the praises of the One and sees nothing else was a cloth-dyer by trade, from a caste people called untouchable.
The glory of the Naam is seen in the writings of Vyaas and Sanak, and across the seven continents.
The One has spread out into everything, and those who remember the One stand second to none.
This is the rahaa-o, the "pause" line, the center of the shabad. No one is equal to those who remember the One. Ayk hee ayk anayk ho-ay bisathri-o means the One alone has become many and spread out everywhere. It is like one sun shining in a thousand puddles after the rain. Aan ray aan bharpoor so-oo: that One fills it all.
Then comes the first verse. In Ravidas's time, society sorted people into groups by birth. Some groups were unfairly called "untouchable." The verse speaks of a cloth-dyer, a chheepaa, whom the world looked down on. He wrote the praises of the One and saw nothing else.
And the glory of the Name he carried is seen in the writings of bi-aas and sanak, sages honored for ages, and across the sapat deepaa, the seven continents. Ravidas places a looked-down-on dyer right beside the most honored sages. Those who hold the Name are one family, whatever their birth.
If the same One is inside everything, what does that make everything else to you?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI