Sikhism·Raag Nat Naaraayan·Shabad 6
Verse 3 of 5

We're Waves That Rise From the Sea and Melt Back

ਇਹੁ ਪਰਪੰਚੁ ਕੀਆ ਪ੍ਰਭ ਸੁਆਮੀ ਸਭੁ ਜਗਜੀਵਨੁ ਜੁਗਣੇ ॥
ih parpanch kee-aa parabh su-aamee sabh jagjeevan jugnay.
The expanse of this creation is Your work, O God, my Lord and Master, Life of the entire universe, united with all.
ਜਿਉ ਸਲਲੈ ਸਲਲ ਉਠਹਿ ਬਹੁ ਲਹਰੀ ਮਿਲਿ ਸਲਲੈ ਸਲਲ ਸਮਣੇ ॥੨॥
ji-o sallai salal utheh baho lahree mil sallai salal samnay. ||2||
Countless waves rise up from the water, and then they merge into the water again. ||2||

Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa

In plain words

The whole wide world is Your doing, and You are woven into all of it.

We rise from You and return to You, like waves rising from the sea and melting back into it.

We're like waves that rise up from the sea and melt back into it — never really apart from where we came from.
The deeper layer

A beautiful union image: "countless waves rise up from the water, and then merge into the water again." We are like waves on the sea — rising up for a while as separate-seeming shapes, then melting back into the water we always were. It's the raag's gentle picture of where we come from and where we return: never really apart from the One. For a child: we're like waves that rise from the sea and melt back into it — never really apart from where we came from.

A Question to Sit With

What do you notice about a wave — where it comes from and where it goes?

Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI

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