Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
In the grocer's shop, asafoetida spice; on the buffalo's head, horns; in the Shiva temple, the sacred stone.
Three things, three rhyming names: heeng, seeng, leeng.
This one keeps the rhyme game going. Kitchen, field, and temple all end up in one song.
Baanee-ay kay ghar heeng aachhai — in the grocer's shop there is heeng, a strong-smelling cooking spice. Bhaisar maathai seeng — on the buffalo's head, seeng, horns. Dayval maDhay leeg aachhai — in the temple there is the leeg, the sacred stone kept in a shrine of Shiva. Heeng, seeng, leeng.
Again, three ordinary things from three ordinary places, tied together by rhyme. Notice how calmly Naam Dayv puts the temple stone right next to a spice and a buffalo's horns. There's no mocking. It's just one more thing in the world's big list. Think of a kid listing what they saw today: a bakery, a dog, a church bell — all with the same happy interest.
The whole world, holy objects too, is being gently gathered into one playful list. All of it points past itself, to the One who will be named at the end.
What everyday things around you could you notice as part of one big, connected whole?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI