Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
I have set the beautiful presence of the One right inside my heart, like keeping something precious close. Meeting the perfect guide, I am carried safely across.
Guru Arjan says: keep the One close in your heart, and the true guide will carry you across.
Hirdai charan kamal prabh dhaaray — I have set the lotus feet of the One in my heart. "Lotus feet" is Gurbani's way of pointing to the most beautiful, most loved presence there is. Bowing at someone's feet means deep respect. Keeping those feet in your heart means that presence goes everywhere with you.
Pooray satgur mil nistaaray — meeting the perfect true guide, I am carried across. Nistaaray means ferried over deep water. It is the shabad's own word for being set free. Picture a boat taking you over a wide, rough river to the far bank. You do not swim it alone. The guide is the boat.
What precious thing do you keep close in your heart to steady you?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI