Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
He Himself is the One who enjoys, and He Himself is the joy. He Himself delights in all.
He Himself is the Bride in her wedding dress. He Himself is the Groom waiting for her.
This verse says the One is on both sides of everything: the one who enjoys and the joy itself.
Aapay rasee-aa aap ras — He Himself is the one who tastes, and He Himself is the taste. Aapay ravanhaar — He Himself is the one who delights in it all. Aapay hovai cholrhaa aapay sayj bhataar — He Himself is the bride in her wedding dress, and He Himself is the groom.
Guru Nanak does not picture God sitting far away from the world. He pictures the One playing both parts of every relationship. It is a bit like a child playing with a puppet in each hand, doing both voices. Both characters are really the same child.
Some call this idea advaita, meaning "not two." It is not the idea of many gods. And it is not simply saying that nature is God. It says there is one deep reality, and it shows up to itself as a relationship: a lover and a beloved.
Poets and seekers in many cultures have wondered about this. The Song of Songs in the Bible, Rumi's long poem the Masnavi, and the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad all ask it: who is the lover and who is the beloved, if there is only One?
Can you think of a time when you couldn't tell whether you were giving love or receiving it — it was just flowing? What was that like?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI