Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
The talkers talk and talk and then are gone; there is no one to compare to You.
Nanak, short on devotion, humbly prays: may I sing the praises of the true One.
The ending points past all the talking to the One.
Kahday kaheh kahay kahi jaaveh — the talkers talk and talk, and then they are gone. Tum sar avar na ko-ee — no one compares to You.
Then Nanak ends humbly. Bhagat heen — short on devotion, he says of himself. He asks for just one thing. Ha-o saalaahee sachaa so-ee — may I sing the praises of the True One.
After the whole rich butter-making picture, the prayer is small and simple. He doesn't ask to be a great speaker or a winner. He asks only for the gift of praising. Think of a child humming a song for their mom, just because they love her. This opening of Soohee ends where every raag ends: in humble, grateful song.
Beyond all your doing and talking, what is the simple thing you'd most want to be given?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI