Sikhism·Raag Soohee·Shabad 87
Verse 3 of 9

A Whole Universe Inside

ਕਾਇਆ ਅੰਦਰਿ ਸਭੁ ਕਿਛੁ ਵਸੈ ਖੰਡ ਮੰਡਲ ਪਾਤਾਲਾ ॥
kaa-i-aa andar sabh kichh vasai khand mandal paataalaa.
Everything is within the Lord - the continents, worlds and nether regions.
ਕਾਇਆ ਅੰਦਰਿ ਜਗਜੀਵਨ ਦਾਤਾ ਵਸੈ ਸਭਨਾ ਕਰੇ ਪ੍ਰਤਿਪਾਲਾ ॥
kaa-i-aa andar jagjeevan daataa vasai sabhnaa karay partipaalaa.
The Life of the World, the Great Giver, dwells within the body; He is the Cherisher of all.
ਕਾਇਆ ਕਾਮਣਿ ਸਦਾ ਸੁਹੇਲੀ ਗੁਰਮੁਖਿ ਨਾਮੁ ਸਮ੍ਹ੍ਹਾਲਾ ॥੨॥
kaa-i-aa kaaman sadaa suhaylee gurmukh naam samHaalaa. ||2||
The body-bride is eternally beautiful; the Gurmukh contemplates the Naam. ||2||

Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa

In plain words

It sounds impossible, but the whole wide universe — every land, every world, all of it — is somehow mirrored right inside me.

The great Giver of life, who feeds and holds everything, lives in here too. I do not have to travel the cosmos; I carry it.

The whole universe is mirrored inside you — you carry it, not chase it.
The deeper layer

A whole universe is inside you.

Kaa-i-aa andar sabh kichh vasai: everything lives inside the body. Khand mandal paataalaa: all the lands, worlds, and deep places below.

Jagjeevan daataa vasai: the Giver, the Life of the world, lives inside too, taking care of everyone.

Think of how a single phone can hold maps of the whole planet. In a much deeper way, the whole creation is reflected in you. Gurmukh naam samHaalaa: the gurmukh, the one who turns toward the Guru, holds on to the Name and finds all of this within.

A Question to Sit With

What amazing thing might be inside you that you have not looked for yet?

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

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