Sikhism·Siree Raag·Ashtapadee 7
Verse 9 of 9

I Searched and Searched, and Found God

ਖੋਜਤ ਖੋਜਤ ਪਾਇਆ ਡਰੁ ਕਰਿ ਮਿਲੈ ਮਿਲਾਇ ॥
khojat khojat paa-i-aa dar kar milai milaa-ay.
I searched and searched, and found God. In the Fear of God, I have been united in His Union.
ਆਪੁ ਪਛਾਣੈ ਘਰਿ ਵਸੈ ਹਉਮੈ ਤ੍ਰਿਸਨਾ ਜਾਇ ॥
aap pachhaanai ghar vasai ha-umai tarisnaa jaa-ay.
Through self-realization, people dwell within the home of their inner being; egotism and desire depart.
ਨਾਨਕ ਨਿਰਮਲ ਊਜਲੇ ਜੋ ਰਾਤੇ ਹਰਿ ਨਾਇ ॥੮॥੭॥
naanak nirmal oojlay jo raatay har naa-ay. ||8||7||
O Nanak, those who are attuned to the Name of the Lord are immaculate and radiant. ||8||7||

Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa

In plain words

I searched and searched, and found God. In the Fear of God, I have been united in His Union.

Through self-realization, people dwell within the home of their inner being. Egotism and desire depart.

O Nanak — those who are attuned to the Name of the Lord are immaculate and radiant.

Searching and searching, I found God — within the inner home, through the Fear-Reverence that produces union.
The deeper layer

The closing pauri arrives at the finding: khojiaa khoj milaa. The searching (which began in the forest in Shabad 105 Pauri 7, wandering without direction) has been completed. The Fear of God (Har bhai) — the reverence-awe — has produced the union.

Self-realization as the place of inner dwelling: aap pachhaane ghar vasai — know yourself, dwell within yourself. The inner home as the location of the found God. The search that seemed to require climbing mountains and wandering forests ended within.

A Question to Sit With

What has been the nature of your spiritual searching — where have you looked, what have you found, and where has the most genuine discovery happened?

Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI

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