Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Every living thing has an ending, and everyone knows the ache of saying goodbye.
We all wonder about what comes next, and no one can say for certain.
What hurts most is feeling far from the good — so keep it close.
This is the opening shabad of Raag Sorath, by Guru Nanak, placed at the very end of the Wadahans section as a bridge into the next raag (as one section's close often opens the next). Fittingly for a raag of mourning, it opens honestly: "death comes to all, and all must suffer separation." Guru Nanak doesn't hide the hard truth — everything that lives has an ending, and everyone knows the ache of goodbye. Handled gently for a child, the deepest point is the last line: what truly hurts is forgetting the good ("those who forget my Lord suffer"). So the whole shabad will point toward keeping the good close. For a child: everything has an ending, and we all feel the ache of goodbye — so keep what's good close to your heart.
What good thing do you most want to keep close to your heart, always?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI