Kings Are Restless; a Heart With the Name Is Full
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
The rulers of the whole world are unhappy - and someone who keeps the Name is happy.
Pile up hundreds of thousands, millions - the wanting does not stop. The Name quiets it.
A thousand pleasures cannot quench your thirst. The Name satisfies it.
On the road you must walk all alone, the Name walks with you and feeds you. Hold such a Name forever, dear mind. Nanak says: through the Guru, you reach the highest dignity.
Kings with everything are still restless, but a heart holding the Name is full.
Guru Arjan says something many people quietly suspect. Sagal sarisat ko raajaa dukhee-aa — the rulers of the whole world are unhappy. Power does not bring peace.
Getting more does not end wanting. It feeds it. This is trishnaa, the thirst that grows the more you drink. Think of a phone game that always shows one more level to unlock. You never reach "enough."
Against all that stands the one who keeps the Name. Har kaa naam japat ho-ay sukhee-aa — keeping the Name, you become happy. Simply happy.
Then the song comes back to its main picture. Jih maarag ih jaat ikaylaa — the road you must walk alone. There, the Name walks with you and keeps you going.
The last words are param gat, the highest state of dignity. The world's rulers were trying to win this by conquering. Here it comes through remembering.
Have you ever gotten the thing you wanted most - and noticed how quickly the wanting moved to something else?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI