Savaiye in Praise of Guru Ram Das (Bhatt Keerat), Verse 4 — empty-handed, asking for shelter
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
I am full of faults, and I have not one good quality. I left the nectar and swallowed poison instead.
Caught in the pull of passing things and in doubt, I lost my way. I gave my heart away to my children and my wife.
I have heard of one highest path: the Guru's Sangat. Joining it, the fear of death is taken away.
Keerat the bard makes one prayer: Guru Ram Das, keep me in your shelter.
Someone who comes with empty hands and many faults can still ask the Guru for shelter.
Keerat speaks honestly. Ham avgun bharay — I am full of faults. He left amrit, sweet nectar, and swallowed poison instead: he chased what does not last and let the lasting go. He got lost in maa-yaa, the pull of passing things, in doubt, and in his love for his family.
Then he has heard that the best path is the sangat, the Sangat — people gathered together to remember the One. Joining it, the fear of death goes away. So he makes one prayer: gur raamdaas raakho sarnaa-ee — Guru Ram Das, keep me in your shelter.
Think of coming home soaked from the rain. You don't need to be dry to knock. You just knock. This closes Keerat's four verses.
When you have made mistakes, who is someone you can go to for shelter?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI