At the Treasury, the Wise Ask for More Closeness
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
I come as a beggar, and this is what I beg for: by Your mercy, give me Your Name.
I ask for the dust of the feet of the good. Fulfill this one yearning -
let me sing Your praise forever; let me remember You with every breath; let my heart stay in love with Your feet; let me worship You every single day.
You are my only shelter, my only support. I ask for the highest thing there is: the Name.
A beggar comes to the One who owns everything, and asks only for more closeness.
Jaachak jan jaachai parabh daan — I am a beggar, and I beg You for a gift. The wish list is surprising. The beggar asks for the Name. He asks for dhoor, the dust of the feet of good people, a sign of deep humility. He asks to sing the One's praise, to remember with every breath, and to worship every day. Every item is more closeness. Not one is a thing you could own. Think of being told you can pick anything in a toy shop, and asking only to spend the day with your grandparent.
This is what healthy wanting looks like. The wanting is still fully alive, just pointed in a new direction. The beggar has learned what the treasure house really holds. Ashtapadee 19 taught that lesson, and here it turns into a shopping list.
Saas saas parabh tumeh dhi-aava-o — with every breath, may I remember You. Earlier hymns taught this pace as an instruction. Here it comes back as a request. By now Sukhmani knows that even the practice has to be given as a gift, as Ashtapadee 6 said.
The last line seals it. Naanak maagai naam parabh saar — Nanak asks for the Name, the best of all. Of everything you could ask for, the Name is highest.
If you could ask for anything at all, and the asking itself shaped who you become - what would be worth asking for?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI