In that line, God is referred to as “Raam.”Vaheguru is the main term of Sikhs for God so I guess that’s why they used Vaheguru in the translation when referring to God or “Raam.”

Thanks. I'm just starting to learn Gurmukhi and find it very distracting when the transcript doesn't match up with the actual content. I wish they'd just say "Raam" when it says "Raam" and "Vaheguru" when it says "Vaheguru," because it would make it easier for me to follow along and learn. I know that Vaheguru is the main term most Sikhs use for God but shouldn't we be authentic to the Gurbani itself and not alter it just out of what we think is the main term? I was reading the other day about how some Sikhs chant ੴ instead of ਵਾਹਿਗੁਰੂ because that's what the Granth Sahib starts with, but in translations it says "Vaheguru" even though it's not actually in the Bani of Nanak, at least that I've read, and that's very strange to me. Why did Vaheguru get adopted and displace ੴ or the other terms that Guru Nanak Dev taught us? Where in the Granth Sahib does it say to chant ਵਾਹਿਗੁਰੂ? Nanak was so clear and explicit about why what and how to chant that it seems like he would have used the word ਵਾਹਿਗੁਰੂ if that's the Naam he was saying to chant. Forgive my presumptions and incomplete knowledge I just want to understand better.

You’re right! Actually the word is Ram which also refers to God...but apparently for others to understand who might not be well versed with the Indic history and are new to Sikhi the translation says Vaheguru. There are a thousand such names and metaphors which refer to God in the Granth Saheb.

Waheguru ki ja khalsa waheguru ji ki fateh Actually, you see, the cultural environment in India during the time when guruji started spreading the message of waheguru, was full of idol worshipping, and other rituals that today majorly are a part of Hinduism. I'm not very sure, but thw word ram could've been used to let a common person also feel the connection with akal purakh. Also, note that "raam" here doesn't refer to Lord Ram(a Hindu god) but to waheguru. So when you are reading the transcript, you should expect a lot of synonyms, metaphors etc to come your way, since all wasn't literally said and meant; symbolism has been a majo part of Sikhism and other religions as well. Waheguru ji chardi kala bakshe tuanu!

Symbolism and metaphor is to be expected in any poetic work, religious or otherwise. However, deviations from the literal meaning of the words are an obstacle to learning and serves to make the Guru's teachings less accessible. What I need is the Gurmukhi, transliteration and literal English translation side by side, with ample parentheses and footnotes to explain when the English is not adequate to convey the meaning. This channel almost provides that but comes short by choosing to change the words, perhaps with the intention of making it easier to understand, but with the consequence of making it harder to understand in reality, raising the suspicion of those who are skeptical that the translation may be polluted or altered by those with human biases, and perhaps discouraging some from learning who otherwise would have. At least there is a comments section here, the same problem is even worse on some other videos offering "translations" of Gurbani, only they've left open no avenues for requesting clarification. I would be very surprised to hear of anybody who is confused by the presence of names like Ram -- we all know that the Gurus drew from, recontextualised and reformed Hindu philosophy and terminology, and furthermore there are many more Hindus in the world than Sikhs and, here in Canada, more people know about Hindu mythology than know about Sikhi, so there is no need to remove references to Hindu concepts, in fact, they can make it easier to understand for people for whom Sikhi is not the first Dharmic religion they've encountered. I've also seen Raam translated as Lord, and that I'm much more okay with, because it seems to me that where the Gurus used the word Raam for God, they are referring to God in its aspect of lordly power and majesty, whereas Vaheguru refers to God in the aspect of the wondrous enlightener. When pleading for God's light to enter us, it makes perfect sense to me to chant Vaheguru, but not when invoking God's power, when the Gurus chose the metaphor of Ram for that purpose. We should follow the Gurus, and raise people to their level of understanding, not our own ideas of what might make the Guru's message simpler or more palatable for those who lack understanding.