I do not even know how to swim — so give me Your arm, and I will hold on.
The Arc
Some days wanting comes at you in waves. One more thing, then another. You feel like you're going under. So you ask the One to carry you across, the way a father carries a tired child over a stream. The storm is strong. You can't steer your little boat. You can't even see the far shore. You ask for kindness, and for the Guru who knows the way across. Then you say the simplest thing. I don't know how to swim. Give me Your arm. Give me Your arm. At the centre, the Rahao: when the crossing is too much, you ask the One to carry you over.
Key Vocabulary
lobh lahar — the waves of greed.
taar — carry across, ferry.
gobind / beethulaa / kaysvaa — Gobind, Beethula (Vithal) and Keshav: devotional names of the Beloved One.
anil bayrhaa — the boat in the storm-wind.
baah deh — give me Your arm.
Themes and Cross-Connections
Namdev's tender, dependent plea is a counterweight to the raag's more assertive voices; it belongs to Gurbani's steady welcome of honest helplessness turned into trust. The crossing-image recurs across the tradition as the passage from turbulence to peace.
For Raag Basant
Against the raag's bright blossoming, this shabad shows the trust that makes blossoming possible: a heart that admits it cannot swim and simply reaches for the arm that will carry it to the calm, greening far shore.
Hukumnama
Subject: Ask the One to carry you across Preview: waves of greed, a sinking body, a boat in a storm, a far shore out of reach, a reaching arm
Today: Some days wanting comes at you in waves. One more thing, then another. You feel like you're going under. So you ask the One to carry you across, the way a father carries a tired child over a stream. The storm is strong. You can't steer your little boat. You can't even see the far shore. You ask for kindness, and for the Guru who knows the way across. Then you say the simplest thing. I don't know how to swim. Give me Your arm. Give me Your arm.
When the crossing is too much, you ask the One to carry you over.
For today: When you feel swamped today, say "I need a hand" to someone you trust.
I do not even know how to swim — so give me Your arm, and I will hold on.
The Arc
Some days wanting comes at you in waves. One more thing, then another. You feel like you're going under. So you ask the One to carry you across, the way a father carries a tired child over a stream. The storm is strong. You can't steer your little boat. You can't even see the far shore. You ask for kindness, and for the Guru who knows the way across. Then you say the simplest thing. I don't know how to swim. Give me Your arm. Give me Your arm. At the centre, the Rahao: when the crossing is too much, you ask the One to carry you over.
Key Vocabulary
Themes and Cross-Connections
Namdev's tender, dependent plea is a counterweight to the raag's more assertive voices; it belongs to Gurbani's steady welcome of honest helplessness turned into trust. The crossing-image recurs across the tradition as the passage from turbulence to peace.
For Raag Basant
Against the raag's bright blossoming, this shabad shows the trust that makes blossoming possible: a heart that admits it cannot swim and simply reaches for the arm that will carry it to the calm, greening far shore.
Hukumnama
Subject: Ask the One to carry you across Preview: waves of greed, a sinking body, a boat in a storm, a far shore out of reach, a reaching arm
Today: Some days wanting comes at you in waves. One more thing, then another. You feel like you're going under. So you ask the One to carry you across, the way a father carries a tired child over a stream. The storm is strong. You can't steer your little boat. You can't even see the far shore. You ask for kindness, and for the Guru who knows the way across. Then you say the simplest thing. I don't know how to swim. Give me Your arm. Give me Your arm.
When the crossing is too much, you ask the One to carry you over.
For today: When you feel swamped today, say "I need a hand" to someone you trust.