Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Suppose the body becomes the dyer's vat, my love, and the Name is poured in as the dye.
And suppose the Dyer doing the dyeing is the One itself. Then a color appears that has never been seen before!
This is the heart of the shabad. It says: you can't dye yourself. The One does the coloring.
Three things come together. Kaa-i-aa ranyan — the body becomes the dyer's vat, the big tub of dye. Paa-ee-ai naa-o majeeth — the Name is poured in as the dye. Majeeth is madder, a plant that gives a deep red that never washes out. And the Dyer who does the work is the Master, the One.
Think of tie-dyeing a shirt at summer camp. You bring the plain shirt. Someone gives you the dye. But the color only comes when the shirt sits and soaks, and you can't rush it. Here the One is the Dyer.
When the self, the Name and grace meet, saahib aisaa rang na deeth — such a color was never seen before. You offer yourself and the Name. The One gives you a color no effort alone could make.
What change in you could only happen if you stopped forcing it and let grace do the coloring?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI