Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
By the Hukam of His Command, all are created. By His Command, actions are performed.
By His Command, all are subject to death. By His Command, they merge in Truth.
O Nanak, whatever pleases His Will comes to pass. Nothing is in the hands of these beings.
The comprehensive sovereignty of Hukam closes the Ashtapadee: creation, action, death, merging — all by His Command. The Hukam frame means: nothing that happens is outside this governance. Including death — which opened the Ashtapadee with the fish in the net and the noose descending — is within Hukam.
'Nothing is in the hands of these beings' — na kichu hath jeea ke — a statement of radical non-sovereignty. The human who believes they control their circumstances is in the same position as the clever, beautiful fish that did not see the net.
How do you hold the tension between acting with full effort and recognizing that nothing is ultimately in your hands? What does that balance look and feel like?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI