Sikhism·Raag Saarang·Shabad 16
Verse 2 of 3

The Maker Inside the Made

ਰਾਮੁ ਆਪੇ ਆਪਿ ਆਪੇ ਸਭੁ ਕਰਤਾ ਰਾਮੁ ਆਪੇ ਆਪਿ ਆਪਿ ਸਭਤੁ ਜਗੇ ॥
raam aapay aap aapay sabh kartaa raam aapay aap aap sabhat jagay.
The Lord Himself is Himself the Creator of all. The Lord Himself is Himself pervading the whole world.
ਜਿਸੁ ਆਪਿ ਕ੍ਰਿਪਾ ਕਰੇ ਮੇਰਾ ਰਾਮ ਰਾਮ ਰਾਮ ਰਾਇ ਸੋ ਜਨੁ ਰਾਮ ਨਾਮ ਲਿਵ ਲਾਗੇ ॥੧॥
jis aap kirpaa karay mayraa raam raam raam raa-ay so jan raam naam liv laagay. ||1||
That person, upon whom my Sovereign Lord King, Raam, Raam, Raam, bestows His Mercy - that person is lovingly attuned to the Lord's Name. ||1||

Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa

In plain words

The One is itself the maker of everything, and itself spread all through the world it made.

And the heart grace touches turns naturally toward the Name, held there by love.

The Maker is not far off — it lives inside everything it made.
The deeper layer

The One who made everything also lives inside everything that was made.

"Raam aapay aap" means the One, all by itself. The verse says the One is both the maker of all and the life spread through all of it.

Think of a baker whose love for the bread is baked right into each loaf. The maker is not far off in some other room. The maker is inside the made.

Then the verse says who comes close. It is the one on whom the One shows kirpaa, kindness and grace. That person is held in liv, a loving, steady attention to the Name.

A Question to Sit With

What changes if the maker of the world is also inside it?

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

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