Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Even in a place turned to ruin and grief, Nanak still spoke of the One, and set down this account.
The One who made us all, and gave us our joys, sits and watches even this — nothing is hidden from Him, and in the end His justice is real; cruelty will not have the last word.
Much will be torn apart, and then India will remember these words.
These invaders came in one year and will be gone by another; a new day will rise after them. This is the truth, spoken at the time it needed to be spoken.
This part asks a hard question: how do you face terrible suffering?
Nanak gives no easy answer. He does not say the people deserved it. He does not pretend it was fine. Maas puree vich — in the city of the dead — he still sings the praises of the One. He is not excusing the cruelty. He is refusing to let cruelty have the last word.
Two things hold him steady. First, baithaa vaykhai vakh ikaylaa — the Maker sits apart and watches. The suffering is seen. No one's pain goes unnoticed. And sachrhaa ni-aa-o — true justice — is real, even when we can't see it yet.
Second, cruel rulers do not last forever. Aavan ath-tarai jaan sataanvai — they come in seventy-eight and go in ninety-seven. In our calendar, those years are 1521 and 1540. Then someone else will rise. Nanak also says much will be torn apart, and then India will remember his words.
Think of a long storm. You can't explain why it came. But you can keep a light on and know that storms end. This verse doesn't solve why suffering happens. It shows a witness who never looks away, and never stops trusting that truth and fairness outlast the bully. Sach kee banee naanak aakhai — Nanak speaks the Word of Truth, at the time it is needed.
How do you hold both at once: not pretending a terrible thing is okay, and still not letting it steal all your hope?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI