Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Suppose my whole self could become writing tools. My body would be the paper. My mind would be the pot of ink, and my tongue the pen.
Then I would spend all of it writing Your praises, filling every page with wonder at You.
Lucky is the one who writes the True Name not just on paper but into the very center of their heart.
Guru Nanak wishes his whole self could become a way to write the One's praises.
Kaa-i-aa kaagad jay thee-ai — if my body became the paper. Man masvaanee Dhaar — and my mind the inkpot. Laltaa laykhan sach kee — and my tongue the pen of truth. Then he would write, and think deeply about, the One's goodness: har gun likhahu veechaar.
Picture a child who loves drawing so much that every notebook and napkin ends up covered in sketches. Guru Nanak wants to be like that, but with praise. He wants every part of himself to become a tool for it.
The shabad ends on a bright picture. Dhan laykhaaree naankaa — blessed is the writer, says Nanak. Saach likhai ur Dhaar — the one who writes the True Name and keeps it in the heart. The best writing of all is writing the Name into who you are.
If you could fill something with what you love most, what would you write?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI