Sikhism·Raag Prabhaatee·Raag Parbhaatee, Shabad 65
Verse 1 of 4

Before Time, and in Everything

ਪ੍ਰਭਾਤੀ ॥
parbhaatee.
Prabhaatee:
ਆਦਿ ਜੁਗਾਦਿ ਜੁਗਾਦਿ ਜੁਗੋ ਜੁਗੁ ਤਾ ਕਾ ਅੰਤੁ ਨ ਜਾਨਿਆ ॥
aad jugaad jugaad jugo jug taa kaa ant na jaani-aa.
He existed in the beginning, in the primeval age, and all throughout the ages; His limits cannot be known.
ਸਰਬ ਨਿਰੰਤਰਿ ਰਾਮੁ ਰਹਿਆ ਰਵਿ ਐਸਾ ਰੂਪੁ ਬਖਾਨਿਆ ॥੧॥
sarab nirantar raam rahi-aa rav aisaa roop bakhaani-aa. ||1||
The Lord is pervading and permeating amongst all; this is how His Form can be described. ||1||

Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa

In plain words

The One was here in the beginning, before the ages began, and through every age since. No one has ever found where the One ends.

The One is present in everything and everyone, all the way through. That is how the One can be described.

The One was here before time began, and is woven without a seam through everything and everyone.
The deeper layer

The One was here before time began, and is woven without a seam through everything and everyone.

Aad jugaad jugaad jugo jug means "in the beginning, in the first age, and through all the ages." Taa kaa ant na jaani-aa means "no one has known where the One ends."

Then the second line pulls that vastness close. Sarab nirantar raam rahi-aa rav means "the One is present inside everything, with no gap." Nirantar means without a gap or a seam. This is Namdev's favorite note: the boundless One is also the nearest. Think of the air in a room. It fills every corner, and it is also in your own breath.

A Question to Sit With

Where do you notice something that feels older and bigger than everything around it?

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

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