Sikhism·Raag Basant·Shabad 57
Verse 4 of 5

The Great Giver

ਤੂ ਵਡ ਦਾਤਾ ਤੂ ਵਡ ਦਾਨਾ ਅਉਰੁ ਨਹੀ ਕੋ ਦੂਜਾ ॥
too vad daataa too vad daanaa a-or nahee ko doojaa.
You are the Great Giver; You are so very Wise. There is no other like You.
ਤੂ ਸਮਰਥੁ ਸੁਆਮੀ ਮੇਰਾ ਹਉ ਕਿਆ ਜਾਣਾ ਤੇਰੀ ਪੂਜਾ ॥੩॥
too samrath su-aamee mayraa ha-o ki-aa jaanaa tayree poojaa. ||3||
You are my All-powerful Lord and Master; I do not know how to worship You. ||3||

Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa

In plain words

You are the great Giver, and You are so wise. There is no one else like You.

You are my Master, who can do anything. What do I know about how to worship You?

You do not have to know the perfect words to honor what you love.
The deeper layer

The One is the great Giver and the deeply Wise, and next to that, you hardly know how to give honor.

Too vad daataa means You are the great Giver. Too vad daanaa means You are deeply Wise. There is no one else like You.

Ha-o ki-aa jaanaa tayree poojaa means what do I know about how to worship You? This is not putting yourself down. It is honest and humble. Think of a small child who wants to thank her grandmother. She does not know the perfect words, so she just gives a big hug. Love is enough.

A Question to Sit With

How do you show you care about something even when you do not have the right words?

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

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