Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
In the Guru's sanctuary, you are saved. The manmukh's capital is counterfeit — it looks real but does not hold up.
The Shabad shapes the eight metals into genuine coins — the true currency of the King.
The Assayer Himself tests every coin, and places the genuine ones in His treasury.
Gur sarnaai chhuteeai, manmukh khotee raas — in the Guru's sanctuary, liberation comes; the manmukh's assets are khotee raas (counterfeit currency). The merchant and coinage metaphor appears across Siree Raag, but here it becomes most specific: counterfeit currency is not just worthless — it is dangerous, it can deceive. The manmukh's spiritual capital looks genuine but doesn't hold up under examination.
Asat dhaat paatisaah kee, gharhee-ai sabad vigaas — the eight metals (a traditional Indian classification) of the King are made into coins (gharhee-ai — coined, shaped, hammered into form) by the Word of the Shabad, with vigaas (blossoming, joy). The Shabad is the mint: it takes the raw metal of the soul and coins it into something genuine, something that bears the King's stamp. Note vigaas — the coining is not harsh labor but blossoming. The Shabad shapes with joy.
Aapay parkhay paarkhoo, pavai khajaanai raas — the Assayer Himself assays the coins, and the genuine ones go into the treasury. The paarkoo (assayer — the one who tests metals for purity) is the divine. Every soul is brought before this assayer. And the ones found genuine — shaped by the Shabad, bearing the King's stamp — go into the divine treasury. Not judgment as punishment: assaying as recognition, finding what is real and placing it where it belongs.
What in your life has shaped you — genuinely changed your metal — and made you more real than you were before?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI