Sikhism·Raag Dhanaasaree·Shabad 101
Verse 3 of 5

Not Even the Mighty Have Measured You

ਹਨੂਮਾਨ ਸਰਿ ਗਰੁੜ ਸਮਾਨਾਂ ॥ ਸੁਰਪਤਿ ਨਰਪਤਿ ਨਹੀ ਗੁਨ ਜਾਨਾਂ ॥੨॥
hanoomaan sar garurh samaanaaN. surpat narpat nahee gun jaanaaN. ||2||
Beings like Hanumaan, Garura, Indra the King of the gods and the rulers of humans - none of them know Your Glories, Lord. ||2||

Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa

In plain words

Even the strongest heroes, even the great bird who carries the gods, even the king of the heavens and the rulers of the earth — none of them could count all the wonderful things about You.

No one is high enough to look down on the mystery of You. And that means no one is too low to be near it, either.

No one is too high to have measured You — and no one too low to hold You.
The deeper layer

Power and rank give no one a special way in to the One.

Hanoomaan sar garurh samaanaa: Hanuman, the mighty helper, and Garurh, the great eagle who carries Vishnu. Surpat narpat: Indra, the king of the gods, and the kings of the earth. All of them are named, and all fall short: nahee gun jaanaa, they do not know all Your wonders.

Think of a door that no key of gold can open. Being high and strong does not help. Kabir is quietly getting ready for a point he loves. If the highest have no special way in, then the lowest are not shut out either.

A Question to Sit With

Have you ever felt too small for something important? What if smallness was never the point?

Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI

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