The Name Is a Daily Tool, Medicine, and Treasure
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
For those who love the One, the Name is an everyday thing - used daily, like bread and water. And their minds are at peace.
The Name is what holds them up. It has carried millions across.
Day and night they sing praise. The Name is their medicine when they hurt.
The Name is their treasure, given to them by the Giver Himself. Body and mind glow with the joy of that love. Nanak says: clear, careful understanding becomes their way of moving through the world.
The Name is something you use every day, like bread, like medicine, like treasure.
The first line is quiet but bold. Bhagat janaa kee bartan naam — for the devotee, the Name is bartan, a thing for daily use. It is not a Sunday decoration. It is not only for emergencies. It is a household item, like salt or soap.
This brings the holy right into home life. That is just what the Gurus meant by Grihast, the path of family and home life. The Name belongs in the kitchen and on the drive to school, not only in the gurdwara.
Two more pictures follow. Har har a-ukhadh saadh kamaat — the holy use the Name as a-ukhadh, medicine, for healing. Har jan kai har naam nidhaan — the Name is a treasure. It was given as a gift, not won.
The last line gives a fruit people often miss. Naanak jan kai birat bibaykai — the way of the One's servant is careful, clear understanding. Simran, remembering, does not make people vague or dreamy. It makes them clear. Think of cleaning your glasses. Everything looks sharper after.
What do you use every single day without fail - and what would it mean for remembering to be on that list?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI