Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
One, I'm glad to be the dust beneath Your feet. You're gentle with the weak and the small; You steal hearts with kindness — so by that kindness, please answer the ache in mine.
In every direction Your praise is already ringing out, You who see inside every heart and are always, always here. And the ones who sing You never really die, and never sink into grief.
This one says the One's deepest kindness goes to the small and the weak.
Parabh tayray pag kee Dhoor — God, I am the dust of Your feet. It's a picture of glad humility. This is the rahaa-o, the "pause" line, the center of the shabad.
The One is called deen da-i-aal. Deen means the meek, the powerless, the small. Da-i-aal means kind. The tradition says this again and again: the deepest tenderness goes not to the mighty but to the lowly. That turns the world's usual ladder upside down. Think of a teacher who spends the most time with the kid who is struggling, not the star student.
Then comes a bold promise. Say jan kabahu na martay jhoor — those who sing Your praises never die or sink into grief. Read rightly, this doesn't say the body lives forever. It says a heart anchored in the ever-present One is no longer ruled by the fear of death or the grip of sadness.
Who does the world usually treat as most important? Who does this verse say gets the most tenderness?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI