Sikhism·Siree Raag·Shabad 97
Verse 4 of 5

True Is the Creator, True Is the Doer

ਆਏ ਸੇ ਪਰਵਾਣੁ ਹਹਿ ਜਿਨ ਗੁਰੁ ਮਿਲਿਆ ਸੁਭਾਇ ॥
aa-ay say parvaan heh jin gur mili-aa subhaa-ay.
Blessed and acclaimed is the coming of those who have met the Guru with loving faith.
ਸਚੇ ਸੇਤੀ ਰਤਿਆ ਦਰਗਹ ਬੈਸਣੁ ਜਾਇ ॥
sachay saytee rati-aa dargeh baisan jaa-ay.
Attuned to the True One, you shall obtain a place of honor in the Court of the Lord.
ਕਰਤੇ ਹਥਿ ਵਡਿਆਈਆ ਪੂਰਬਿ ਲਿਖਿਆ ਪਾਇ ॥੩॥
kartay hath vadi-aa-ee-aa poorab likhi-aa paa-ay. ||3||
Greatness is in the Hands of the Creator; it is obtained by pre-ordained destiny. ||3||

Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa

In plain words

True is the Creator, True is the Doer. His Writ runs everywhere.

Whatever He does comes to pass. He is the All-powerful, Infinite Lord.

True in what He creates, True in what He does — the same Truth pervades the creative act and the governance.

True in being, True in doing — the divine's Truth pervades everything He creates and everything He causes.
The deeper layer

Sach Kartaa Sach karand (True Creator, True Doer) — the truth-quality is both in what the divine is and in what the divine does. Not just a true being doing arbitrary things — the doing is also true. The writ runs everywhere: chalat so soi (whatever He does comes to pass).

This connects to the "True is His Empire" that closed Shabad 85: the Truth pervades the divine's entire domain — being, doing, governing. Everything the True One touches is True.

A Question to Sit With

What would it look like to live in a way where your inner truth and your outer actions were fully aligned — no gap between who you are inside and what you do outside?

Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI

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