Sikhism·Raag Todee·Shabad 34
Verse 3 of 5

Kitchen, Field, and Temple in One Song

ਬਾਣੀਏ ਕੇ ਘਰ ਹੀਂਗੁ ਆਛੈ ਭੈਸਰ ਮਾਥੈ ਸੀਂਗੁ ਗੋ ॥
baanee-ay kay ghar heeNg aachhai bhaisar maathai seeNg go.
In the home of the grocer there is asafoetida; on the forehead of the buffalo there are horns.
ਦੇਵੇਂ ਮਧੇ ਲੀਗੁ ਆਛੈ ਲੀਗੁ ਸੀਗੁ ਹੀਗੁ ਗੋ ॥੨॥
dayval maDhay leeg aachhai leeg seeg heeg go. ||2||
In the temple of Shiva there are lingams. So here they are: heeng, seeng, leeng. ||2||

Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa

In plain words

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.

The whole world — kitchen, field, and temple alike — can be gathered into one song pointing to the One.
The deeper layer

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.

A Question to Sit With

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

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