Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
People who love the One go about searching for the very breath of their life.
Their strength drains away when they feel far from the One they love.
"Be kind to me," the heart asks, "and let me hold onto the hem of Your robe."
Give me Your Name to say, for it's in seeing You that I truly come alive.
The One is strong and whole and never-changing, higher and wider than I can reach.
"Be gentle with me, dearest, and let me be close to You."
This one says the sweetest safety is holding on to the One so you don't get lost.
Khojat sant fireh — the loving ones go around searching for the One, the support of their very breath. Their longing is so strong that, apart from the Beloved, they feel their strength drain away.
Then comes a tender picture. Kar da-i-aa larh laa-ay leejee-ai — be kind, and let me hold the edge of Your robe. Think of a small child in a crowded market, holding tight to a parent's shirt so they won't get lost.
The verse puts two things side by side. The One is samrath, all-powerful, and agam apaaray, out of reach and without end. And yet the soul asks to hold the hem, as close as a child. Guru Arjan, the Fifth Guru, keeps weaving the huge and the close together like this.
It ends, as so many verses do, by asking for kindness. Closeness is asked for and received, never grabbed.
When you love someone, being far from them takes the energy right out of you. The sweetest safety is holding on, so you won't get lost.
Who is someone whose 'hem' you'd want to hold onto so you'd always feel safe?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI