Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
It was as if the Guru made the Ganges river flow backward, and the whole world asked, "What has he done?"
Guru Nanak, master of the world, said it out loud for all to hear.
With a mountain for a churning stick and the great serpent for a rope, he churned the ocean of the Shabad.
Out came fourteen jewels, and the world was filled with light.
He showed such creative power, such greatness.
He raised the royal canopy over Lehna's head, and lifted his glory to the sky.
His light blended into Lehna's light, and the two became one.
Guru Nanak tested his Sikhs and his sons, and everyone saw what happened.
When Lehna alone was found pure, he was placed on the throne.
The 'Ganges flowing backwards' pictures how the choice overturned everyone's expectation that a son would inherit. The churning of the ocean is an old story (Sumayr mountain as the stick, the serpent-king as the rope) borrowed as a metaphor for how the teaching brings up hidden treasure. 'Light merged into Light' (jot samaanee jot maahi) is the heart of the whole ballad: one flame, passed on. Worth was tested, not assumed.
When have you seen the expected choice passed over in favor of the right one?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI