ਪ੍ਰਭ ਦੀਨ ਦਇਆਲ ਭਗਤ ਭਵ ਤਾਰਨ ਹਮ ਪਾਪੀ ਰਾਖੁ ਪਪਨਾ ॥
parabh deen da-i-aal bhagat bhav taaran ham paapee raakh papnaa.
O God, Merciful to the meek, carry Your devotees across the world-ocean; I am a sinner - save me from sin!
ਹਰਿ ਦਾਸਨ ਦਾਸ ਦਾਸ ਹਮ ਕਰੀਅਹੁ ਜਨ ਨਾਨਕ ਦਾਸ ਦਾਸੰਨਾ ॥੪॥੧॥
har daasan daas daas ham karee-ahu jan naanak daas daasannaa. ||4||1||
O Lord, make me the slave of the slave of Your slaves; servant Nanak is the slave of Your slaves. ||4||1||
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
O One, so kind to the humble, the one who carries the devoted over the wide sea of the world — I come with empty hands, please carry me too.
Make me the servant of Your servants. Nanak says: I am the servant of Your servants; that lowest, most loving place is exactly where I want to be.
The One is tilted toward the humble — the empty-handed are exactly who get carried across.
Deen da-i-aal — kind to the meek — names the One's tilt toward the humble. To come as a sinner is to come with empty hands, open for grace; daasan daas (servant of servants) is the low place freely chosen, and there the heart is free.
A Question to Sit With
Why do you think kindness so often flows toward those who need it most?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI
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