Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
People ask where you come from, what family, what rank. My answer is simple: the Guru is my family and my honor.
I have given my head, my whole self, into the Guru's keeping. Call me the Guru's student — and Guru, keep me close and hold my honor safe.
When people ask "Who are your people?", Guru Ram Das answers: the Guru.
In his time, people were sorted by jaat paat, the family group and rank you were born into. It decided who you could eat with and who was "above" you. Hamree jaat paat gur satgur — "The Guru is my family and my rank." He sets the whole sorting aside. His belonging is the Guru.
Vaychi-o sir means "I have sold my head." It is a way of saying: I have given my whole self.
Think of a jersey. You put on your team's colors, and where you came from matters less than whose team you are on. Then he asks, gur raakho laaj — Guru, keep my honor safe. The Guru becomes the one who holds up the student's worth.
What would you say if someone asked what you truly belong to?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI