Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Only the true cargo of the Naam stays with you on the journey.
Sing the praises of the One; that is your treasure and your profit. Then, even in the middle of what is harmful, nothing can stain you.
Only one thing you gather in life goes with you all the way: the Name.
This is the rahaa-o, the "pause" line, the center of the shabad.
Guru Arjan often talks like a trader. Khayp means a trader's cargo, the goods he carries. Nibhee means it lasts the whole journey. Only the cargo of the naam, the Name of the One, lasts.
The laabh, the profit, is har gun, singing the good qualities of the One. That is the nidh dhan, the treasure that lasts.
"Bikhai maahi alayp" means untouched in the middle of what is harmful. Think of a lotus flower. It grows up out of muddy water, yet its petals stay clean. You can live fully in the world and stay clean at the root.
If you could only keep one thing that could never be taken away, what would you want it to be?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI