Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
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.
Child, why do you quarrel with your father?
He gave you life and raised you. It is wrong to fight with him.
A parent gently asks a child, "Why are you fighting with your father?"
It opens with a short blessing line, the Mangalacharan: "One Creator. By the grace of the True Guru." Then comes a short hymn of two verses by Guru Ram Das. The second line is the "pause" line, the rahaa-o, the center of the shabad.
Jhagrat means quarreling. The verse uses a strong word, paap, which usually means "sin." Here it means hurting something precious between you and the one who raised you. Think of a string of fairy lights. Every harsh word is like a tug on the wire. Tug too often, and the lights start to flicker. Gentleness keeps them glowing.
There is a deeper meaning too. The verse also speaks of the soul and its Source, the One who gave it life.
When you feel like arguing with a parent, what could you do instead to stay close?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI