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Sikhism·Raag Soohee·Shabad 103
Verse 2 of 4

The Only Rank That Matters

ਹਰਿ ਭਗਤਾ ਕੀ ਜਾਤਿ ਪਤਿ ਹੈ ਭਗਤ ਹਰਿ ਕੈ ਨਾਮਿ ਸਮਾਣੇ ਰਾਮ ॥
har bhagtaa kee jaat pat hai bhagat har kai naam samaanay raam.
The Lord is the social class and honor of His devotees; the Lord's devotees merge in the Naam, the Name of the Lord.
ਹਰਿ ਭਗਤਿ ਕਰਹਿ ਵਿਚਹੁ ਆਪੁ ਗਵਾਵਹਿ ਜਿਨ ਗੁਣ ਅਵਗਣ ਪਛਾਣੇ ਰਾਮ ॥
har bhagat karahi vichahu aap gavaaveh jin gun avgan pachhaanay raam.
They worship the Lord in devotion, and eradicate self-conceit from within themselves; they understand merits and demerits.
ਗੁਣ ਅਉਗਣ ਪਛਾਣੈ ਹਰਿ ਨਾਮੁ ਵਖਾਣੈ ਭੈ ਭਗਤਿ ਮੀਠੀ ਲਾਗੀ ॥
gun a-ugan pachhaanai har naam vakhaanai bhai bhagat meethee laagee.
They understand merits and demerits, and chant the Lord's Name; devotional worship is sweet to them.
ਅਨਦਿਨੁ ਭਗਤਿ ਕਰਹਿ ਦਿਨੁ ਰਾਤੀ ਘਰ ਹੀ ਮਹਿ ਬੈਰਾਗੀ ॥
an-din bhagat karahi din raatee ghar hee meh bairaagee.
Night and day, they perform devotional worship, day and night, and in the home of the self, they remain detached.
ਭਗਤੀ ਰਾਤੇ ਸਦਾ ਮਨੁ ਨਿਰਮਲੁ ਹਰਿ ਜੀਉ ਵੇਖਹਿ ਸਦਾ ਨਾਲੇ ॥
bhagtee raatay sadaa man nirmal har jee-o vaykheh sadaa naalay.
Imbued with devotion, their minds remain forever immaculate and pure; they see their Dear Lord always with them.
ਨਾਨਕ ਸੇ ਭਗਤ ਹਰਿ ਕੈ ਦਰਿ ਸਾਚੇ ਅਨਦਿਨੁ ਨਾਮੁ ਸਮ੍ਹ੍ਹਾਲੇ ॥੨॥
naanak say bhagat har kai dar saachay an-din naam samHaalay. ||2||
O Nanak, those devotees are True in the Court of the Lord; night and day, they dwell upon the Naam. ||2||

Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa

In plain words

For those who love the One, the One is their whole standing and honor — they melt right into the Name. They serve with love and let the small self dissolve, having learned to see clearly where they shine and where they slip.

Knowing both their strengths and their stumbles, they speak the Name, and loving awe grows sweet to them. Day and night they live their devotion, yet stay unclutched even in the middle of ordinary home life.

Colored in that love, their hearts stay clear and clean, and they feel the One always right beside them. Such loving hearts are true at the One's door, holding the Name close all day and night.

The only rank worth having is belonging to the One — a dignity open to everyone.
The deeper layer

har bhagtaa kee jaat pat hai — the One is the jaat (caste/class) and pat (honor) of His devotees. This is a caste-leveling verse: in a world ranked by birth, Guru Amar Das says the only standing that matters is belonging to the One — the same dignity available to everyone. gun avgan pachhaanay — honest self-knowledge, seeing both merits and faults, is treated as strength, not shame. ghar hee meh bairaagee — unclutched right inside home life: this is householder spirituality, not withdrawal.

A Question to Sit With

If people were not ranked by money or fame or family, what would make someone truly worth respecting?

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

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