Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Good deeds, right living, purity, self-control, chanting, hard discipline, and visits to holy places — all of these live in the Word, the Shabad.
Nanak says: when you are brought to meet the True Guru, suffering, wrongdoing and death all run away.
Every good practice has its root in one place: the Word.
The verse names many good practices. Karam and Dharam are good deeds and right living. Such is purity, and sanjam is self-control. Jap is repeating the Name, tap is hard discipline, and tirath is visiting holy places. Sabad vasay: all of them live inside the Shabad.
The verse does not throw these away. It honors them and gathers them into one root. So you do not have to chase each one separately. It is like a tree. Water the root, and every branch gets a drink.
Dookh paraachhat kaal nasay: when you meet the True Guru, suffering, wrongdoing, and death run away. It is good news, a picture of freedom.
If all good habits shared one root, what do you think that root would be?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI