The Rainbird's Thirst

ਸਾਰੰਗ ਮਹਲਾ ੫ ਚਉਪਦੇ ਘਰੁ ੧

saarang mehlaa 5 cha-upday ghar 1

Saarang, Fifth Mehl, Chau-Padas, First House:

ੴ ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਪ੍ਰਸਾਦਿ ॥

ik-o^Nkaar satgur parsaad.

One Universal Creator God. By The Grace Of The True Guru:

ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਮੂਰਤਿ ਕਉ ਬਲਿ ਜਾਉ ॥

satgur moorat ka-o bal jaa-o.

I am a sacrifice to the Image of the True Guru.

ਅੰਤਰਿ ਪਿਆਸ ਚਾਤ੍ਰਿਕ ਜਿਉ ਜਲ ਕੀ ਸਫਲ ਦਰਸਨੁ ਕਦਿ ਪਾਂਉ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥

antar pi-aas chaatrik ji-o jal kee safal darsan kad paa^N-o. ||1|| rahaa-o.

My inner being is filled with a great thirst, like that of the song-bird for water. When shall I find the Fruitful Vision of His Darshan? ||1||Pause||

Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa

In plain words

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.

I give my whole self to the Guru.

Inside me is a thirst, like the rainbird's thirst for rain. When will I get to see You, the sight that makes my life whole?

A real thirst for the One is already the beginning of finding.

The deeper layer

The rainbird (chaatrik) is a favorite image in Gurbani — it refuses every other water and thirsts only for the raindrop from the sky. Here it stands for a heart that has stopped being satisfied by lesser things and longs only for darshan, the direct sight of the divine. Giving your whole self to the True Guru means giving your heart to the One who turns you toward that longing.

A Question to Sit With

Is there something you want so much that nothing else quite satisfies you until you have it?

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

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