Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
The Perfect Guru planted the Lord's Name in me and it drove all my doubts away from inside.
I sing the Lord's Kirtan — and the Divine Light shines within. Now I can see the way.
Conquering ego, focused on the One Lord — the Naam lives in me. Following the Guru's teachings, the Messenger of Death cannot touch me.
The Lord Himself is everywhere; He connects those with whom He is pleased to His Name.
Servant Nanak chants the Naam and lives by it. Without the Name — he would die in an instant.
"Without the Name, he would die in an instant"
Nānak nāmu japai so jīve, bin nāmai khanu marā'i — "Servant Nanak chants the Naam, the Name of the Lord, and so he lives. Without the Name, he would die in an instant." This is among the strongest statements of Naam-dependence in the entire Vaar.
The word khanu is significant: "in a moment," "instantly," "immediately." Without the Name, death is instantaneous. Not eventual, not gradual — immediate. The soul's life is entirely the Name's life. The Name is not just supportive or helpful; it is constitutive of existence.
This is Guru Amar Das composing in the voice of Guru Nanak — a kind of devotional channeling. By putting these words in the first Guru's mouth, the third Guru is expressing the depth of dependence: even Nanak, the first Guru, lives only by the Name.
The divine connection is initiated by the Lord
Āpe rati jan jorhe, tin nāmai nāl milā'i'ā — "the Creator Himself is All-pervading everywhere; He links those with whom He is pleased to His Name." Again the Vaar returns to divine initiative: the Lord connects those He is pleased with. The please-and-connect sequence runs from Lord to devotee, not the other way around.
*What in your life are you so dependent on that without it, you feel like a different person? Is there anything that feels that necessary?*
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI