Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
In the Sangat, your face begins to shine, and the grime on the mind rinses away.
In the Sangat, the me-first feeling thins out, and wisdom starts to show itself.
In the Sangat, the One feels near, quarrels settle down, and the jewel of the Name comes into your hands.
In the Sangat, your efforts all start pointing one direction. Who can measure such people? Nanak says: their glory flows into the One like a river into the sea.
Goodness is caught more than it is taught. You pick it up by being near good people.
Saadh kai sang means in the Sangat — people gathered together to remember the One. These words now open every line, and they keep opening lines for eight full verses. The Guru stays with this one gift for a long time.
The gifts in this verse are practical, things you could almost watch happen. The face begins to shine. The grime inside is washed off. Abhimaan, the puffed-up "me first" feeling, fades. Wisdom shows itself. The One feels near. Quarrels settle down.
Notice how it happens. Nobody sits you down and teaches these things. You catch them, the way calm or panic spreads through a classroom without anyone saying a word.
The last line points to where the song is going. Naanak saadh kee sobhaa prabh maahi samaanee — the glory of the Holy flows into the One. Their greatness does not belong to them. That is exactly why it is safe to praise them for eight whole verses.
After you spend time with different friends, how does your mind feel different? Who leaves you cleaner?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI