Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
There is one Bani, one Guru, one Word to reflect on.
This is the true marketplace and the true goods — storehouses overflowing with jewels.
They come to you by grace, when the Great Giver gives.
Trading in this real treasure, you earn the endless profit of the Name.
Even in the middle of what is bitter, a hidden sweetness can suddenly shine through — and by grace, you get to taste it.
Nanak says: praise the True One, blessed is the One who makes us beautiful.
One Bani, one Guru, one Word: a single source, offered freely by grace.
A landmark shalok of Guru Amar Das: ikaa banee ik gur iko sabad veechaar — one Bani (the sacred Word), one Guru, one Shabad. One source stands behind the teaching, and then come merchant-images much loved in Gurbani: the sachaa sa-udaa (true trade), the bhandaar (warehouses) brimming with jewels, the laabh (profit) of the Name — all received by grace (gur kirpaa tay paa-ee-an), never simply bought. The most beautiful line is the last: vikh vich amrit pargati-aa — right in the midst of vikh, the bitter and poisonous, the nectar reveals itself. Even in hard circumstances, sweetness can break through.
Have you ever found something sweet or good right in the middle of a hard situation?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI