Some things are so wonderful that no words can hold them. You simply take shelter and rest.
The Arc
Some things are too big for words. Try to describe the whole night sky, and your sentences run out. The One is like that. So you stop explaining and take shelter. Say the Naam, and the old dust of your mistakes burns off. Climb aboard with the saints, and their boat carries you across rough water. Tie your mind to the One with a string of love. Look closely, and wonder makes you steady, so you stop wobbling this way and that. And when you are worn out, you can bow at the door and rest there. At the centre, the Rahao: the praise of the One is beyond words, so I let go of all else and take shelter.
Key Vocabulary
upmaa -- praise; here, praise so great it cannot be spoken
charan kamal -- the lotus-feet, a loving image of the nearness of the One
naav sant -- the boat of the saints, which ferries the heart across
bismaad -- wonder, awe, being amazed
anhat bain -- the unstruck word, a music heard within
Themes and Cross-Connections
Praise beyond words; refuge as rest; love pictured as lotus-feet, a boat, a string; wonder and perfect delight; and safety and fearlessness for the heart that keeps the One in mind. Guru Arjan's short lines give the hymn a clean, chiming momentum.
For Raag Bilaaval
Bilaaval's brightness suits Guru Arjan's crisp, joyful couplets of praise and refuge.
Translation Notes
In Pauri 5, those who remember the One 'never go to hell' and 'never see the Messenger of Death.' Here the promise is told by what it gives: a life that is safe, fearless and at peace.
Hukumnama
Subject: The One is beyond words, so take shelter Preview: lotus feet, a boat across rough water, a string of love, and a tired bow at the door.
Today: Some things are too big for words. Try to describe the whole night sky, and your sentences run out. The One is like that. So you stop explaining and take shelter. Say the Naam, and the old dust of your mistakes burns off. Climb aboard with the saints, and their boat carries you across rough water. Tie your mind to the One with a string of love. Look closely, and wonder makes you steady, so you stop wobbling this way and that. And when you are worn out, you can bow at the door and rest there.
When words run out, rest in the shelter of the One.
For today: Take one quiet minute today to say the Naam and simply rest.
Some things are so wonderful that no words can hold them. You simply take shelter and rest.
The Arc
Some things are too big for words. Try to describe the whole night sky, and your sentences run out. The One is like that. So you stop explaining and take shelter. Say the Naam, and the old dust of your mistakes burns off. Climb aboard with the saints, and their boat carries you across rough water. Tie your mind to the One with a string of love. Look closely, and wonder makes you steady, so you stop wobbling this way and that. And when you are worn out, you can bow at the door and rest there. At the centre, the Rahao: the praise of the One is beyond words, so I let go of all else and take shelter.
Key Vocabulary
Themes and Cross-Connections
Praise beyond words; refuge as rest; love pictured as lotus-feet, a boat, a string; wonder and perfect delight; and safety and fearlessness for the heart that keeps the One in mind. Guru Arjan's short lines give the hymn a clean, chiming momentum.
For Raag Bilaaval
Bilaaval's brightness suits Guru Arjan's crisp, joyful couplets of praise and refuge.
Translation Notes
In Pauri 5, those who remember the One 'never go to hell' and 'never see the Messenger of Death.' Here the promise is told by what it gives: a life that is safe, fearless and at peace.
Hukumnama
Subject: The One is beyond words, so take shelter Preview: lotus feet, a boat across rough water, a string of love, and a tired bow at the door.
Today: Some things are too big for words. Try to describe the whole night sky, and your sentences run out. The One is like that. So you stop explaining and take shelter. Say the Naam, and the old dust of your mistakes burns off. Climb aboard with the saints, and their boat carries you across rough water. Tie your mind to the One with a string of love. Look closely, and wonder makes you steady, so you stop wobbling this way and that. And when you are worn out, you can bow at the door and rest there.
When words run out, rest in the shelter of the One.
For today: Take one quiet minute today to say the Naam and simply rest.