Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
I don't really know how to worship — I just keep saying, One, One, Teacher, Teacher.
I'm simply glad to be called Yours.
Kind to the humble, an ocean of peace, You fill every heart to the brim.
You see and hear and are always right beside me — and yet, in my small understanding, I imagined You far away.
Guru Arjan says, "I don't even know how to worship. I just keep saying Your Name." And the One was beside him all along.
This is the rahaa-o, the "pause" line, the center of the shabad. It is very honest. Har aaraadh na jaanaa ray — I do not know how to worship the One. Har har gur gur kartaa ray — I just keep saying "Har, Har, Guru, Guru," like a small child calling for a parent. Har jee-o naam pari-o raamdaas — I am simply called the One's servant, and I am glad of it.
Then comes the gem of the shabad. Paykhat sunat sadaa hai sangay — You see and hear, and You are always with me. Mai moorakh jaani-aa dooree ray — and I, foolish, thought You were far away.
Think of searching the whole house for your friend during hide-and-seek, while they are standing right behind you. That is the whole mistake in one line. The One was close, and we thought the One was far.
Has something you were looking everywhere for ever turned out to be right next to you?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI