Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
The words of the teaching are dear to the very heart of the One.
And so a humble heart gets to speak the pure story that words can never fully hold.
The Guru's words are so dear to the One that they let a humble person tell a story no words can hold.
Gur pooray kee banee — the Word, the banee, of the Perfect Guru. Paarbarahm man bhaanee — it pleases the heart of the Supreme One. Guru Arjan signs with the name Nanak, as the Gurus did, and calls himself daas, a servant. The servant is the one telling the story.
And the story is nirmal akath kahaanee. Nirmal means pure and spotless. Akath means too big to be spoken. So how can anyone tell a story that cannot be told? Think of describing the taste of your favorite food to a friend. Your words never quite catch it. Still, your friend gets a hint and wants a bite. The Guru's words work like that. They cannot hold all of the One, but they point the way.
What is something you feel strongly but find hard to put into words?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI