Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
The One lifts up those who have fallen and is the true friend of anyone who feels small or poor. Come — step into that shelter.
There is an old story: an elephant, seized and terrified, called out and was set free the instant it remembered. So why would you ever forget a Presence like that?
The One lifts up those who have fallen and is a friend to anyone who feels small.
Patit puneet deen bandh har — the One makes the fallen pure and is the friend of the poor and the lowly. Patit means fallen. Deen means poor or small. Gurbani cares deeply for people who are left out or struggling. Saran taahi tum aava-o — come into the One's shelter.
Then comes an old story. Gaj ko taraas miti-o jih simrat — remembering the One, the elephant's fear was taken away. The elephant is Gajraj, the elephant-king from the Puranas, the old story-books of India. A crocodile gripped him in a lake. He cried out, turned to the One, and was rescued.
Gurbani loves this story as a picture of turning to the One when you are afraid. It is told to encourage anyone who is frightened to look for shelter and help. It is not a promise that every rescue will come right away.
Tum kaahay bisraava-o — so why would you forget such a One? The story from the Puranas is told here warmly and with respect, as part of a shared spiritual inheritance.
When you've been really stuck or scared, what happened the moment you finally asked for help?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI