Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Before you were born, you did nothing to earn your place here, and once you arrived, the gift of life was simply given. The One who makes everything is always at work, watching over all of it, again and again.
Whether you ask out loud or say nothing at all, the giving never stops. There is one great Giver, and every single one of us receives — we are all held by the same open hand. Nanak says: that Giver lives forever, and the giving goes on and on.
Shalok M1. Jaa na si-aa... jaa jammay — you did nothing to earn existence; life is gift. Ik daata sabh mangte — the one Giver, all receivers — echoes Japji's "the Giver keeps giving." Whether we ask or stay silent, grace is already flowing, received not earned. Jeevai dayvanhaar — the Giver is inexhaustible.
What is something you were given that you could never have earned?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI