Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
From the vibration of the Shabad, wisdom and deep meditation arise. Through it, the unspeakable becomes expressible.
The Guru is like a fruit-bearing tree, lush and green, with shade deep enough to shelter all who come.
Rubies, jewels, emeralds — all of it is in the Guru's treasury. Every precious thing is kept there.
Giaan dhiaan dhun jaaneeai — wisdom (giaan) and meditation (dhiaan) are known through the dhun (vibration, inner sound, resonance) of the Shabad. The Word has a sonic dimension — not just meaning but sound. This is why kirtan (sung Gurbani) is central to Sikh practice: the vibration of the words in music does something that silent reading does not. Wisdom enters through the body when the Shabad is sung.
Akath kahaavai so-ay — "through it, we speak the Unspoken." The divine reality (akath — the unspeakable, the inexpressible) is what no language can contain directly. Yet the Shabad somehow carries it. The vibration conveys what the words cannot hold. This is the mystery at the heart of all devotional poetry: using language to point at what language cannot capture. Guru Nanak is not claiming the Shabad explains the divine — he is saying it transmits it.
The fruit-bearing tree (bira-kh haree-aavlaa chhaa-v ghanayree) — lush and green, bearing fruit AND providing shade. Both functions simultaneously: the tree gives you fruit (the Naam, liberation, wisdom) and also shelter (peace, protection from the world's heat). You can rest under this tree. And eat from it. And not only you — the shade is ghanayree (abundant, more than enough). Everyone fits.
Laal javayhar maankee — rubies, jewels, and emeralds in the Guru's treasury. The ornamental vocabulary of royalty applied to the Guru: all the most precious things in existence are gathered here, and they are available.
What is a source in your life that gives you both nourishment and shelter — and how do you stay close to it?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI