Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
The Guru is the ocean, the perfect treasure, the most precious jewel, the priceless ruby.
By the Guru's grace the Great Giver blesses us;
and, says Nanak, the Forgiving One forgives.
The Guru is a treasure with no bottom, and the shabad ends resting on grace.
The verse piles up pictures for the Guru. Gur saagar — the Guru is an ocean. The Guru is a perfect treasure store, a precious jewel, a priceless ruby. Each picture is of something that never runs out, or that no money could buy.
Through the Guru, the Great Giver blesses us. Naanak bakhsay bakhsanhaar — says Nanak, the Forgiving One forgives.
Think of a child who breaks something and runs to a parent. The child is not forgiven for being perfect. The child is forgiven because the parent is loving. The shabad ends the same way: on the One's kindness and pardon, not on how good the servant is.
Who in your life has been like a deep well you could always draw from?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI