Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
The one who truly knows the True One - that one is rightly called the True Guru.
In such company the learner is carried, singing praise all the way.
The one who truly knows the True One is the True Guru. And a Sikh is someone who stays close and sings.
This is the salok, the short opening verse, of the eighteenth ashtapadee, a set of eight verses in Sukhmani. Sat purakh jin jaani-aa satgur tis kaa naa-o — whoever knows the True One is called the True Guru. That is the only thing asked of a Guru. Not a famous family, a title, special robes or lots of book learning. Just knowing the True One firsthand, the way you know a friend and not just facts about them.
The word Sikh means a learner, a student. The verse gives the learner one simple job: stay in the Guru's company and sing praise.
The eight verses that follow unfold this close, tender bond. They show what the True Guru does for the learner, and what the learner brings. And they show where it all opens out at the end: into the One, who was the real Teacher inside the teacher all along.
What makes someone a real teacher of the deepest things - certificates, titles, or something they actually know from the inside?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI