Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Those who think deeply about the Guru's Word are filled with awe of God.
They stay close to the True Congregation, always. They think on the good qualities of the True One.
They wash off the dirt of a divided mind. They keep the Lord safe in their hearts.
Their words are true, and their minds are true. They are in love with the True One.
This verse says that thinking deeply about the Guru's Word fills us with awe, and awe helps us understand.
Aapnaa bha-o tin paa-i-on jin gur kaa sabad beechaar — those who think about the Guru's Word are given bha-o. The old translation calls this "the Fear of God." It is really awe: the feeling of standing before something huge, beautiful and far beyond us.
It is not being scared. It is more like standing at the edge of the Grand Canyon, or looking up at a sky full of stars far from the city. You feel very small. But you also can't look away. You want to come closer.
A thinker named Rudolf Otto described this feeling with two words: it is tremendous, so big it almost overwhelms you, and fascinating, so beautiful it draws you in. That is the bha-o of Gurbani. It pulls us toward the One, not away.
Satsangtee sadaa mil rahay — such people stay with the Sat Sangat, the True Congregation. DubiDhaa mail chukaa-ee-an — they wash off the dirt of dubiDhaa, a divided mind pulled two ways. Har raakhi-aa ur Dhaar — they keep the Lord close in their hearts. Sachay naal pi-aar — and they love the True One.
When have you experienced genuine awe — not just being impressed, but actually humbled by the scale of something? What was that experience like?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI