Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
The Lord is Immaculate and Radiantly Bright. But without the Guru, He cannot be found.
He cannot be found by reading scriptures. The deceitful pretenders are lost in doubt.
Through the Guru's Teachings, the Lord is always found — and the tongue is permeated with the Sublime Essence of the Lord.
This one says the One is shining right in front of us, but we need the Guru to help us see.
Har nirmal at oojlaa: the One is spotless and brightly shining. Bin gur paa-i-aa na jaa-ay: without the Guru, the One can't be found. The Light is real and always here. What needs the Guru is our seeing. The Light isn't hidden. A mind searching without the Guru just can't see what is right there. The Guru is like a pair of glasses. You don't look at the glasses. They help you see.
Paath parhai naa boojh-ee: reading scriptures alone doesn't bring understanding. Bhaykhee bharam bhulaa-ay: the bhaykhee, people who wear holy clothes as a costume, are lost in doubt. Think of a scholar who reads only to look learned, or a religious leader who acts holy for show. They aren't fooled by the holy books. They are fooled by their own pretending. This is aimed at the hollow show, in any tradition, never at a faith.
Gurmatee har sadaa paa-i-aa: through the Guru's teaching, the One is always found. Rasnaa har ras samaa-ay: the tongue is filled with the sweet taste of the One. The tongue both tastes and speaks. When the Guru's teaching really lands, the tongue changes. It tastes and speaks in a new way. The sweetness of the One becomes its natural flavor.
What is the difference between reading about something and actually tasting it — and when have you moved from one to the other?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI