Sikhism·Raag Prabhaatee·Raag Parbhaatee, Shabad 53
Verse 6 of 9

The One who sees and knows

ਦਰਗਹ ਦਾਨਾ ਬੀਨਾ ਇਕੁ ਆਪੇ ਨਿਰਮਲ ਗੁਰ ਕੀ ਬਾਣੀ ॥
dargeh daanaa beenaa ik aapay nirmal gur kee banee.
The Lord in His Court is Himself the Knower and Seer; the Word of the Guru's Bani is Immaculate.
ਆਪੇ ਸੁਰਤਾ ਸਚੁ ਵੀਚਾਰਸਿ ਆਪੇ ਬੂਝੈ ਪਦੁ ਨਿਰਬਾਣੀ ॥੫॥
aapay surtaa sach veechaaras aapay boojhai pad nirbaanee. ||5||
He Himself is the Awareness of Truth; He Himself understands the state of nirvaanaa. ||5||

Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa

In plain words

In the One's court, the One alone is the Knower and the Seer. The Guru's Word is spotless.

The One is the awareness that thinks on Truth, and the One knows the still, free state of nirvaanaa.

The One both sees everything and is the very awareness by which truth is known.
The deeper layer

The One sees everything, and the One is the very knowing.

The verse says dargeh daanaa beenaa ik aapay: in the court, the One alone is Knower and Seer. And nirmal gur kee banee: the Guru's Word is spotless. Then aapay surtaa sach veechaaras: the One is the awareness that thinks on truth. And aapay boojhai pad nirbaanee: the One knows the still, free state.

Think of the light in a room. It shows you everything, and it is also how you see at all. Everything folds back into one single reality.

A Question to Sit With

What does it mean to you that something could both see everything and be the seeing itself?

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

About this shabad →
Use ← → to navigate