Every Light That Ever Shone Is One Borrowed Light
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
See Him in the old books - and in the moon, the sun and the stars: One.
Everyone's speech is, underneath, His Word - He Himself never wavers.
With complete power He plays His play; His worth cannot be priced; His virtues have no end. In every light that shines, His Light is what is shining.
The whole fabric of the universe hangs on His loom. By grace, doubt is dispelled - and this trust sets like a foundation stone.
Every light that has ever shone is one Light, shining through many lamps.
The verse starts with the old holy books and the sky. Sasee-ar soor nakh-yatar meh ayk — in the moon, the sun and the stars, there is the One. Two lines here are loved and sung often.
The first is banee parabh kee sabh ko bolai — everyone speaks the Word of the One. Underneath every voice is His voice. Lullabies, jokes, even arguments are the one Word speaking in many accents. Earlier in Sukhmani, the One was both the speaker and the listener. Now healed ears hear that from the inside.
The second is sarab jot meh jaa kee jot — in all light is His Light. Guru Nanak sings this same truth in his Aarti, the evening song Sikhs sing every night. Every lamp, star, eye and mind shines with one borrowed shining. Think of all the screens in a city at night. Each one glows, but they all run on the same power. No light in the universe has any other source.
Then comes a picture from weaving. Dhaar rahi-o su-aamee ot pot — the Master holds up the whole weave, the threads across and the threads down. Earlier in Sukhmani, the One was a single thread running through a string of beads. Here He holds the whole cloth of the universe tight.
The verse ends by saying where sure trust comes from. Gur parsaad bharam kaa naas — by the Guru's grace, doubt is gone. The faith that follows is firmly planted, like a foundation poured in concrete. It is given, not argued into place.
Turn off a light in a dark room, then look at the stars. Where does all the shining actually come from?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI