Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Remembering the One, I cross safely over a sea I once feared to face. In the shelter of that brave, sheltering presence, the long tally of everything I dreaded is simply torn up and gone.
This is the pause line, the rahaa-o, the center of the shabad.
Raam raman taran bhai saagar: by raam raman, remembering the One, one crosses the bhai saagar, the frightening ocean of life. Then: saran soor faaray jam kaagar. Saran soor is the shelter of the brave warrior, the One whose shelter makes us fearless. There, the jam kaagar, the account books of Death's messenger, are torn up.
What matters is the tearing up. The scary list is destroyed, so the light falls on freedom from dread, not on the dread itself. Think of a long list of worries you wrote down, torn into pieces and thrown away. In that shelter, the list is gone.
What is a fear that feels smaller when you know someone strong has your back?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI