Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
The glass deals are over.
Join the Sangat and remember the One. Nothing in the whole world is finer.
The fake deals are over, and the best thing in the world is remembering the One in the Sangat.
Kaach is glass. It is cheap stuff made to look like a jewel. Binsay kaach kay bi-uhaar means the glass deals fall apart once you see them clearly. Think of a toy ring that looks like a diamond until you hold it to the light.
Against that stands raam bhaj mil saaDhsangat: remember the One, joined with the Sangat — people gathered together to remember the One. The verse names this saar, the very best, the heart of it all.
This is the rahaa-o, the "pause" line and center of the shabad. Guru Arjan, the fifth Guru, is weighing a whole life. Of everything you could do, this is the finest.
What are some “glass deals” — things that look precious but do not last — that people your age chase after?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI