A prayer heard, a servant kept, and harsh words that simply come to nothing.
The Arc
Sometimes people say unkind things about you. It stings. You bring it to the One in a quiet prayer, and the Great Giver listens and answers with kindness. The harsh words lose their grip. They just come to nothing. You are the Guru's, and no one can threaten you. Picture a hand reaching down to pull you out of a crowd and set you somewhere safe. That hand is the One's. There is one Giver behind every living thing. So your whole prayer can be short. You are my strength. At the centre, the Rahao: no one can threaten the Guru's own, kept safe by the One's own hand.
Key Vocabulary
ardaas sunee daataar: the Giver heard the prayer
raakh lee-aa apnaa sayvko: the servant kept safe
day apnay haath: kept with the One's own hand
mai tayraa jor: You are my only strength
Themes and Cross-Connections
This is the first of a pair of slander-shabads (with the next). Guru Arjan's answer to being wronged is never revenge but shelter: the harm loses its footing when you are held. That trust is distilled in mai tayraa jor.
For Raag Bilaaval
The raag keeps the tone reassuring rather than triumphant — comfort offered to someone who has been spoken against.
Translation Notes
The literal line mukh nindak chhaar pictures ashes in the mouth of the slanderer. For children, the teaching is kept as the harsh words simply coming to nothing while the one who was wronged is held safe.
Hukumnama
Subject: The One's own hand keeps you safe Preview: a prayer heard by the Great Giver, a servant kept safe, an outstretched hand, one strength to lean on.
Today: Sometimes people say unkind things about you. It stings. You bring it to the One in a quiet prayer, and the Great Giver listens and answers with kindness. The harsh words lose their grip. They just come to nothing. You are the Guru's, and no one can threaten you. Picture a hand reaching down to pull you out of a crowd and set you somewhere safe. That hand is the One's. There is one Giver behind every living thing. So your whole prayer can be short. You are my strength.
The One's own hand keeps you safe.
For today: If someone's words hurt today, say a short prayer and hand the hurt over to the One.
A prayer heard, a servant kept, and harsh words that simply come to nothing.
The Arc
Sometimes people say unkind things about you. It stings. You bring it to the One in a quiet prayer, and the Great Giver listens and answers with kindness. The harsh words lose their grip. They just come to nothing. You are the Guru's, and no one can threaten you. Picture a hand reaching down to pull you out of a crowd and set you somewhere safe. That hand is the One's. There is one Giver behind every living thing. So your whole prayer can be short. You are my strength. At the centre, the Rahao: no one can threaten the Guru's own, kept safe by the One's own hand.
Key Vocabulary
Themes and Cross-Connections
This is the first of a pair of slander-shabads (with the next). Guru Arjan's answer to being wronged is never revenge but shelter: the harm loses its footing when you are held. That trust is distilled in mai tayraa jor.
For Raag Bilaaval
The raag keeps the tone reassuring rather than triumphant — comfort offered to someone who has been spoken against.
Translation Notes
The literal line mukh nindak chhaar pictures ashes in the mouth of the slanderer. For children, the teaching is kept as the harsh words simply coming to nothing while the one who was wronged is held safe.
Hukumnama
Subject: The One's own hand keeps you safe Preview: a prayer heard by the Great Giver, a servant kept safe, an outstretched hand, one strength to lean on.
Today: Sometimes people say unkind things about you. It stings. You bring it to the One in a quiet prayer, and the Great Giver listens and answers with kindness. The harsh words lose their grip. They just come to nothing. You are the Guru's, and no one can threaten you. Picture a hand reaching down to pull you out of a crowd and set you somewhere safe. That hand is the One's. There is one Giver behind every living thing. So your whole prayer can be short. You are my strength.
The One's own hand keeps you safe.
For today: If someone's words hurt today, say a short prayer and hand the hurt over to the One.