You Needn't Pretend to Be Perfect to Be Loved

ਅਪਰਾਧੀ ਮਤਿਹੀਨੁ ਨਿਰਗੁਨੁ ਅਨਾਥੁ ਨੀਚੁ ॥

apraaDhee matiheen nirgun anaath neech.

I am a sinner, devoid of wisdom, worthless, destitute and vile.

ਸਠ ਕਠੋਰੁ ਕੁਲਹੀਨੁ ਬਿਆਪਤ ਮੋਹ ਕੀਚੁ ॥

sath kathor kulheen bi-aapat moh keech.

I am deceitful, hard-hearted, lowly and entangled in the mud of emotional attachment.

ਮਲ ਭਰਮ ਕਰਮ ਅਹੰ ਮਮਤਾ ਮਰਣੁ ਚੀਤਿ ਨ ਆਵਏ ॥

mal bharam karam aha^N mamtaa maran cheet na aav-ay.

I am stuck in the filth of doubt and egotistical actions, and I try not to think of death.

ਬਨਿਤਾ ਬਿਨੋਦ ਅਨੰਦ ਮਾਇਆ ਅਗਿਆਨਤਾ ਲਪਟਾਵਏ ॥

banitaa binod anand maa-i-aa agi-aantaa laptaav-ay.

In ignorance, I cling to the pleasures of woman and the joys of Maya.

ਖਿਸੈ ਜੋਬਨੁ ਬਧੈ ਜਰੂਆ ਦਿਨ ਨਿਹਾਰੇ ਸੰਗਿ ਮੀਚੁ ॥

khisai joban baDhai jaroo-aa din nihaaray sang meech.

My youth is wasting away, old age is approaching, and Death, my companion, is counting my days.

ਬਿਨਵੰਤਿ ਨਾਨਕ ਆਸ ਤੇਰੀ ਸਰਣਿ ਸਾਧੂ ਰਾਖੁ ਨੀਚੁ ॥੨॥

binvant naanak aas tayree saran saaDhoo raakh neech. ||2||

Prays Nanak, my hope is in You, Lord; please preserve me, the lowly one, in the Sanctuary of the Holy. ||2||

Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa

In plain words

I don't always get it right — I get tangled up, I forget, I chase the wrong things.

My time keeps passing, and I know it's precious — so my whole hope rests in You. Please keep me close.

You don't have to pretend to be perfect to be loved — dropping the pretense is a relief, not a shame.

The deeper layer

This one says you don't have to pretend to be perfect to be loved.

In this verse the speaker names his own faults very plainly. He says he is stuck in the mud of clinging, forgets that life is short, and chases pleasures. Then he says: binvant naanak aas tayree — prays Nanak, my hope is in You.

This belongs to an old tradition of humble honesty. It is not self-hatred. It is the relief of dropping every pretend face in front of someone who loves you anyway. The feeling is: I don't always get it right. I get tangled, and I forget. My time is passing. So my whole hope is in You.

Think of coming home after a hard day and not having to act fine anymore. The honesty isn't there to make you feel small. It lets you stop trying to look perfect, and fall back, relieved, into being held.

A Question to Sit With

Does it feel lighter to be honest about your mistakes with someone who loves you no matter what?

Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI

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