Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Join the company of the good, and be glad - sing to the One who is bliss itself.
Ponder the essence of the Name; redeem this human body, so hard to come by.
Sing the deathless words of His praise - this is how a mortal life is carried to safety. See Him near you, around the clock -
and ignorance thins, and the dark lifts. Listen to the teaching, and set it in your heart: what your soul truly wants will find you.
This one says: do not just believe the One is near. Look, and see the One near.
The center is aath pahar parabh paykhahu nayraa — see the One near you through all eight watches of the day. That means around the clock. The word is not "believe." It is "behold": look and see. It is a habit of seeing, trained like any other. Think of learning to spot birds in the trees. At first you see none. With practice, you see them everywhere.
An earlier section said those who cannot see think the One is far away. That mistake is fixed not by arguing but by looking again and again. mitai agi-aan binsai anDhayraa — ignorance leaves, and darkness goes. It works like a lamp in a dark room. The dark does not need to be fought.
Then the body line: darulabh dayh kaa karahu uDhaar — make good use of this human body, so hard to get. Darulabh means rare. An earlier section called it a jewel. Here the word is stronger. Do not only keep it safe. Use it for what it was made for: singing, seeing, listening, keeping the teaching in your heart.
The ending promise matches an earlier one: man ichhay naanak fal paavhu — you will get the fruit your heart truly wants. Sukhmani keeps saying it: this path loses nothing worth keeping.
What is the difference between believing someone loves you and noticing it, every day? Which changes you more?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI