Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
What virtues of the Inaccessible, Unfathomable, Profound One can one tongue describe?
Make me the slave of the slave of Your slaves; servant Nanak seeks Your Sanctuary.
The person lifted highest asks to be a helper to everyone.
First the singer admits one tongue can never describe the One. The One is beyond reach and beyond measure. Then comes the prayer: daas daas daas ko karee-ahu — make me the servant of the servant of Your servants. Daas means servant or helper.
After all the lifting-up in this shabad, you might expect bragging. Instead there is humility. Think of a team captain who, after winning, stays to help carry the gear. Real grace makes a person gentler, not prouder. Other shabads (Shabad 119, Shabad 175) carry the same prayer.
Why might receiving a great gift make a person humbler, not prouder?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI