Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
"Without You, there's no one to rescue me — and rescuing is simply what You do."
It's Your nature to lift up the ones who feel they've fallen short.
So I come to You for shelter, kind and endless ocean of mercy.
Reach into the dark pit where I've gotten stuck and lift me out, cherisher of every heart.
Loosen what's tied me down, and give me the one thing to hold: Your Name.
"Give me Your hand and lift me up" — that's my whole prayer.
After three verses of warning, the Chhant turns, and the turn is pure grace. This is the resolution the whole song was driving toward: paapee udhaaran — "it is Your Nature to save the sinners." Rescue is not something the One does reluctantly or as a special favor; it is the One's very nature. The image ghor andh koop — "the deep dark pit" — names exactly where a lost heart feels stuck, and the prayer is simply "give me Your hand and lift me out." No scorecard, no earning — just the reaching hand. For a child this is the whole point of the warning verses: they exist so that this verse can land. However lost or stuck you feel, the One's deepest nature is to reach in and pull you out — you only have to ask. "Give me Your hand" is the simplest, truest prayer there is.
When you feel stuck in a bad spot, who can you reach a hand out to for help?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI