Sikhism·Raag Soohee·Shabad 51
Verse 2 of 5

What Pleases The One Is Enough

ਜੋ ਤਿਸੁ ਭਾਵੈ ਸੋ ਪਰਵਾਣੁ ॥
jo tis bhaavai so parvaan.
He alone is approved, who pleases the Lord.
ਆਪਣੀ ਕੁਦਰਤਿ ਆਪੇ ਜਾਣੁ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
aapnee kudrat aapay jaan. ||1|| rahaa-o.
Only He Himself knows His creative omnipotence. ||1||Pause||

Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa

In plain words

What truly counts is living in a way that aligns with the flow of the One.

And only that One fully understands its own vast, creative power — more than we ever could.

Living in tune with the good matters more than impressing anyone.
The deeper layer

This is the rahaa-o line, the "pause" line. It is the center of the whole shabad, the part everything else circles around.

Jo tis bhaavai so parvaan means "whatever pleases the One is parvaan," which means accepted and approved. Aapnee kudrat aapay jaan means only the One knows its own kudrat, its own creative power.

So the goal is not to pile up wins. The goal is to live in tune with the One. Think of a choir. The best singer is not the loudest one, but the one in tune with everyone else. Being in step matters more than standing out.

A Question to Sit With

What does it feel like to do something because it is right, not to impress?

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

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