Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
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.
O heart, keep close to what lifts you toward the One.
The One's people live with the One. They give body, mind and everything they have, and a quiet, joyful music carries them along.
Stay close to the people and things that lift you toward the One.
This is the rahaa-o, the "pause" line, the center of the shabad. The first line comes from Bhagat Sur Daas, a devotee-poet. Guru Arjan, the Fifth Guru, then wrote the rest of the shabad around it.
The line does not tell us to look down on anyone. It asks us to choose our company well. Think of a campfire. Sit close and you stay warm. Wander off into the cold and you start to shiver.
Then the verse shows the people worth staying near. The people who love the One live right beside the One. They give everything they have, body and mind.
And they are carried by sahaj, a calm and natural joy. It runs through them like a song that never stops playing.
Whose company leaves you wanting to be your better self?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI