Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Deep practice, self-discipline, and real steadiness of character all came to me.
They did not come from straining. They came the moment the kind teacher became my helper and stood by me.
Guru Arjan says the fruits of hard practice came to him through the help of a kind teacher.
Jap tap sanjam pooree vadi-aa-ee: jap is remembering, tap is hard, disciplined effort, sanjam is self-control, and pooree vadi-aa-ee is full greatness. These fruits usually come from great effort. Here they arrive through a relationship. Gur kirpaal har bha-ay sahaa-ee: the kind Guru became his sahaa-ee, his helper.
Think of learning to swim. You can splash around alone for a long time. Or a kind coach can stand in the water beside you. The point is growth with help: grace given, not something earned all alone.
When has having a helper made a hard thing feel doable that felt impossible alone?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI