Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
There is only One. And the One is found by the True Guru's grace — a gift that is always here, waiting for an open heart.
This body-cloth of mine has been shaped by the glitter, my love; the fabric is dyed in greed.
Wearing clothes like these, the soul cannot delight the Beloved — how could it come close to Him?
Guru Nanak says a life is like a piece of cloth. It takes on the color of whatever soaks into it.
Ih tan maa-i-aa paahi-aa — this body-cloth has been soaked in maa-i-aa, the shiny pull of the world. Leet-rhaa lab rangaa-ay — the cloth is dyed in greed. Think of a white T-shirt washed with a red sock. It comes out pink, and no one decided that. Our habits and wants soak in the same way.
Nanak speaks as a bride who wants to go to her Beloved. In clothes stained like this, how can she come close? This is not about real clothes. It is about what has colored us inside.
The rest of the shabad answers one question: how does the cloth get a new color?
What has quietly 'colored' your life lately? Is it the color you'd want to be seen in?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI