Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
If I became an emperor with a huge army, and sat on a throne,
giving orders and collecting taxes, O Nanak, all of it could blow away like a puff of wind.
Seeing all this, I might lose my way and forget You. Your Name would not come into my mind.
This line says: even ruling the whole world would blow away like a breath of wind, and it could make me forget You.
Sultaan hovaa mayl laskar: what if I became a sultaan, an emperor, and gathered a huge army? Takhat raakhaa paa-o: and set my foot on a throne?
Hukam haasal karee baithaa: what if I sat there giving orders and collecting taxes? Naankaa sabh vaa-o: O Nanak, all of it is just vaa-o, wind. It could pass away like a puff of air.
Mat daykh bhoolaa veesrai: seeing all this, I might lose my way and forget You.
This is the biggest "what if" of all: total power. Yet it is gone in a breath. Because it feels so solid while it lasts, it is one of the easiest things to get lost in.
Look back over the whole song: a palace, jewels, beauty, amazing powers, an empire. It covers almost everything people dream of. None of it, however good, can take the place of the Name.
Think of a sandcastle on the beach. It can be huge and grand, with towers and flags. Then the tide comes in. The Name is the ocean, not the sandcastle.
When you imagine having everything you have ever wanted — what is the feeling you are actually reaching for underneath all of it? And is there a way to have that feeling right now, without needing to wait?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI