Sikhism·Raag Raamkalee·Shabad 80
Verse 1 of 4

What Way Should I Take Now

ਰਾਮਕਲੀ ਮਹਲਾ ੯ ॥
raamkalee mehlaa 9.
Raamkalee, Ninth Mehl:
ਸਾਧੋ ਕਉਨ ਜੁਗਤਿ ਅਬ ਕੀਜੈ ॥
saaDho ka-un jugat ab keejai.
Holy people: what way should I now adopt,
ਜਾ ਤੇ ਦੁਰਮਤਿ ਸਗਲ ਬਿਨਾਸੈ ਰਾਮ ਭਗਤਿ ਮਨੁ ਭੀਜੈ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
jaa tay durmat sagal binaasai raam bhagat man bheejai. ||1|| rahaa-o.
by which all evil-mindedness may be dispelled, and the mind may vibrate in devotional worship to the Lord? ||1||Pause||

Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa

In plain words

Wise and kind friends, tell me: which path should I walk now?

Which way clears the crooked, unkind thinking from my mind, and lets my whole heart soak in love for the One, the way a cloth soaks up color?

*Ask honestly which way clears your heart — and then walk it.*
The deeper layer

When you don't know the way, ask wise people which path will clear the mind and fill it with love for the One.

This is the Rahao, the "pause" line at the center of the shabad. Guru Tegh Bahadur asks, saaDho ka-un jugat ab keejai — O holy people, what way should I take now? SaaDho means holy or wise ones. Jugat means a way or a method. The seeker turns to the saints for help.

Jaa tay durmat sagal binaasai — so that all durmat, crooked and unkind thinking, is cleared away. Raam bhagat man bheejai — so that the mind is soaked in love for the One. Think of a white cloth dipped in bright dye. Every thread takes on the color. The question is honest and real. The answer unfolds through the rest of the shabad.

A Question to Sit With

Who are the wise, kind people you can ask when you do not know which way to go?

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

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