ਇਹੁ ਤੇਲੁ ਦੀਵਾ ਇਉ ਜਲੈ ॥
ih tayl deevaa i-o jalai.
Use this oil to light this lamp.
ਕਰਿ ਚਾਨਣੁ ਸਾਹਿਬ ਤਉ ਮਿਲੈ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
kar chaanan saahib ta-o milai. ||1|| rahaa-o.
Light it, and meet your Lord and Master. ||1||Pause||
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Use this oil to light this lamp.
Light it, and meet your Lord and Master.
The instruction is not complicated. The difficulty is in the doing.
At some point the teaching has to stop and the practice has to begin — this is that moment.
The third pauri is direct: is tael daee baal — use this oil, light this lamp. No elaboration. The instruction has been given; what remains is the action.
The brevity here is intentional. Guru Nanak has given the theology, the metaphor, the method. At some point, the teaching has to stop and the practice has to begin. This pauri marks that boundary.
A Question to Sit With
What is one practice you could begin — or return to — today? Not tomorrow. Today. What is it?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI
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