Sikhism·Raag Raamkalee·Shabad 132
Verse 1 of 4

Iron and the Touchstone

ਰਾਮਕਲੀ ਬਾਣੀ ਰਵਿਦਾਸ ਜੀ ਕੀ
raamkalee banee ravidaas jee kee
Raamkalee, The Word Of Ravi Daas Jee:
ੴ ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਪ੍ਰਸਾਦਿ ॥
ik-oNkaar satgur parsaad.
One Universal Creator God. By The Grace Of The True Guru:
ਪੜੀਐ ਗੁਨੀਐ ਨਾਮੁ ਸਭੁ ਸੁਨੀਐ ਅਨਭਉ ਭਾਉ ਨ ਦਰਸੈ ॥
parhee-ai gunee-ai naam sabh sunee-ai anbha-o bhaa-o na darsai.
They read and reflect upon all the Names of God; they listen, but they do not see the Lord, the embodiment of love and intuition.
ਲੋਹਾ ਕੰਚਨੁ ਹਿਰਨ ਹੋਇ ਕੈਸੇ ਜਉ ਪਾਰਸਹਿ ਨ ਪਰਸੈ ॥੧॥
lohaa kanchan hiran ho-ay kaisay ja-o paarseh na parsai. ||1||
How can iron be transformed into gold, unless it touches the Philosopher's Stone? ||1||

Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa

In plain words

There is only One. And the One is found by the True Guru's grace — a gift that is always here, waiting for an open heart.

People read all the Names of the One, think hard about them, and listen to them all day long, and still they do not see the One, who is made of love and deep knowing.

How can iron turn into gold unless it touches the touchstone, the magic stone that changes whatever it touches?

Knowing about love is not the same as being touched by it.
The deeper layer

Parheeai, guneeai, suneeai — reading, reflecting, listening — are all good, yet by themselves they leave the anbhau bhaa-o, the felt love and intuition of the One, unseen. The paras, the Philosopher's Stone, turns iron to gold only by touch: change comes by contact, not by study alone.

A Question to Sit With

What is something you can only understand by living it, not just reading it?

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

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