Sikhism·Raag Basant·Shabad 73
Verse 8 of 9

You Never Kept the Score

ਜਿਹ ਅਨੁਗ੍ਰਹੁ ਠਾਕੁਰਿ ਕੀਓ ਆਪਿ ॥
jih anoograhu thaakur kee-o aap.
O my Lord and Master, You have shown Your Mercy to them.
ਸੇ ਤੈਂ ਲੀਨੇ ਭਗਤ ਰਾਖਿ ॥
say taiN leenay bhagat raakh.
You saved those devotees.
ਤਿਨ ਕਾ ਗੁਣੁ ਅਵਗਣੁ ਨ ਬੀਚਾਰਿਓ ਕੋਇ ॥
tin kaa gun avgan na beechaari-o ko-ay.
You do not take their merits and demerits into account.
ਇਹ ਬਿਧਿ ਦੇਖਿ ਮਨੁ ਲਗਾ ਸੇਵ ॥੭॥
ih biDh daykh man lagaa sayv. ||7||
Seeing these ways of Yours, I have dedicated my mind to Your service. ||7||

Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa

In plain words

O my Master, You showed Your kindness to them, and You saved those devotees.

You did not weigh their good points and bad points.

Seeing these ways of Yours, I have given my mind to Your service.

The One never keeps score of your good and bad — grace is simply given.
The deeper layer

The One never keeps score of anyone's good and bad, and seeing that turns the heart to service.

Tin kaa gun avgan na beechaari-o ko-ay means You did not weigh their good points against their faults.

Grace is not a scoreboard. Think of a grandmother who does not keep a list of your mistakes. She just loves you. The One reached out with kindness, and kept and saved those people.

Ih biDh daykh man lagaa sayv means seeing Your ways, my mind turned to Your service. Love that does not count moves us more than any rule. We do not earn it. We receive it, and it makes us want to give back.

A Question to Sit With

How does it change things to know you are loved without your good and bad being counted up?

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

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