Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
The good of all the giving and all the worship in the world is already there in simply singing the One's praises — that's the real heart of wisdom.
Singing of the One beyond reach, beyond limit, I've found a peace too big to measure.
Guru Arjan makes a striking claim: the merit of daan (charity) and pooja (worship) is contained in kirtan — singing the praises. It's the tradition's recurring inward turn: the outer rituals aren't trashed, they're fulfilled in the heart's genuine turning toward the One. "This is the true essence of wisdom" — real wisdom isn't accumulating more practices but finding the one that holds them all. And its fruit is "immeasurable peace" — not a calculated reward but an overflow that can't be totaled up.
Is it better to do many good things mechanically, or one thing with your whole heart? Can one contain the others?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI