Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Let me not lose sight of You, O Great Giver, not even for the length of a single breath.
You are the support of my very life — the One my breath itself leans on.
The song ends by asking to keep the Giver close with every breath.
The closing verse stops using pictures and speaks straight to the One. Bisar nahee ik til daataar — may I not forget You, O Giver, for even a til, the tiniest moment. Said the other way round, it is a wish to always remember, to stay near, to keep the Giver in sight.
Naanak kay parabh paraan aDhaar — Nanak's God is paraan aDhaar, the support of the breath of life. Think of the floor under your feet. You hardly notice it, but you stand on it every second. The One is not something added to life. The One is the ground life rests on.
What would it feel like to stay aware, all through an ordinary day, of the support your life is already resting on?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI