Sikhism·Raag Saarang·Shabad 56
Verse 2 of 3

Bonds Loosened, the One Seen Everywhere

ਅੰਧ ਕੂਪ ਗ੍ਰਿਹ ਮਹਿ ਤਿਨਿ ਸਿਮਰਿਓ ਜਿਸੁ ਮਸਤਕਿ ਲੇਖੁ ਲਿਖਾ ॥
anDh koop garih meh tin simri-o jis mastak laykh likhaa.
He alone meditates on the Lord in the deep dark pit of his own household, upon whose forehead such destiny is written.
ਖੂਲ੍ਹ੍ਹੇ ਬੰਧਨ ਮੁਕਤਿ ਗੁਰਿ ਕੀਨੀ ਸਭ ਤੂਹੈ ਤੁਹੀ ਦਿਖਾ ॥੧॥
khoolHay banDhan mukat gur keenee sabh toohai tuhee dikhaa. ||1||
His bonds are loosened, and the Guru liberates him. He sees You, O Lord, everywhere. ||1||

Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa

In plain words

Even in the middle of a busy, tangled everyday life, some people remember the One. That remembering is itself a gift.

Their knots come untied, and the Guru sets them free. Then they see the One everywhere they look.

You do not have to leave your ordinary busy life to remember the One — you can do it right in the middle of it.
The deeper layer

Even in the middle of a busy everyday life, a person can remember the One. When they do, their knots come loose.

AnDh koop garih means the dark well of the household. It stands for ordinary life, so full of jobs and noise that we lose sight of what matters most. Picture being so busy with messages and homework that you forget to look up at the sky. The good news is that remembering can happen right there, in the middle of it all. The verse calls it a gift written on the forehead — a blessing given.

BanDhan mukat means the bonds untied, set free. Once that happens, a person starts to see sabh toohai tuhee — "it is You, only You" — everywhere.

A Question to Sit With

What is one small way you could remember what matters most in the middle of a busy day?

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

About this shabad →
Use ← → to navigate