Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
O Creator, You alone are my giver, my host.
I ask You for just one gift: give me Your Naam.
Of all the gifts you could ask for, ask the Creator for the Naam.
This is the Rahao, the "pause" line at the center of the shabad. It turns a familiar scene upside down. In those days a jajmaan was the host who fed a priest and gave him gifts. Kartaa too mayraa jajmaan: Creator, You are my host.
A dakhinaa was the gift a priest received. Ik dakhinaa ha-o tai peh maaga-o: I ask You for just one gift. Deh aapnaa naam: give me Your Naam. It is like being told you can have anything in the shop, and choosing the key to the whole shop. That one gift holds all the rest.
If you could ask for only one thing, what would it be, and why?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI