Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
You, Lord, are pervading in all — and yet, the Creator keeps Himself concealed.
O Nanak — the Creator is revealed to the Gurmukh, within whom He has infused His Light.
Toon antar baahir-i bhed-ee, Creator-aa aap-ay chhapiaa — You pervade within and without; the Creator (kartaa — the One who does, the active divine agent) Himself has hidden (chhapiaa — concealed, covered) Himself. The paradox that runs through Guru Nanak's compositions: the Lord is everywhere and hidden. Not hidden because He is absent — but because the ordinary eye, the ego-dominated eye, cannot see what is everywhere.
Gurmukhoh-i parkash-ee-ai, jis-s andar jot-i Aap dikhaa-ay — to the Gurmukh, He is revealed (parkash-ee-ai — illuminated, made manifest); within the Gurmukh, He Himself (Aap) has infused (dikhaa-ay — shown, caused to be seen) His Light (jot-i). The Gurmukh sees what is everywhere because the Lord has illuminated the Gurmukh's interior. Not a different exterior world — the same world. But the interior is lit, and the lit interior sees the lit world that was always there.
Jot-i — the light, the divine light. The same word used in jot milai jot samaaee (light merges in Light). The Gurmukh has the divine Light infused within; therefore they see the divine Light in all. The instrument of perception becomes like what it perceives.
What does it mean that something can be everywhere and still be hidden? Have you ever suddenly seen something that was right in front of you all along?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI