Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Oh — if only I could meet my Beloved and keep Him enshrined deep within my heart!
I praise that God forever and ever, through love and affection.
The one upon whom He bestows His Glance of Grace is united with Him. That person is the true soul-bride of the Lord.
The longing form
Kāsh jiu mile Pi'ārā, hiry dhari rakhā — "Oh, if only I could meet my Beloved, and keep Him enshrined deep within my heart!" The "if only" (kāsh) form is yearning — the longing expressed as a wish rather than a statement. Guru Amar Das writes in the subjunctive of devotion: not "I have met my Beloved" but "if only I could." This is not despair; it is the form of love that intensifies through longing.
The longing itself is an act of praise. Sadā sāhib sāhib ākhā, Gur sard pi'ār — "I praise that God forever and ever, through love and affection for the Guru." The praising that comes from longing — "forever and ever," continuously — is itself the devotional life. Whether or not the meeting is experienced, the praising is ongoing.
The Glance of Grace
Jin par nadar kare Har su'āmī, tin sāth milanī thi'ā'ie — "that one upon whom He bestows His Glance of Grace is united with Him." Nadar (the divine's glance, the look that transforms) is the precipitating event of union. The soul doesn't achieve union by reaching the right level of attainment. The Lord looks at the soul — and union occurs.
This is the devotional tradition's most intimate language for grace: not a force, not a principle, but a glance from a being who loves.
*Have you ever longed for something so deeply that the longing itself became precious? What was that like?*
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI