Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Again and again, countless times, I bow low before the One who holds all power gently in hand.
Keep me steady, One, so I don’t wobble and drift; reach out and take Nanak by the hand. When I feel unsteady, that steadying hand is what I ask for.
A prayer of trust. Dandut bandan anik baar — bowing countless times — to the sarab kalaa samrath, the One "with all powers," is reverence turned tender by what follows. The plea is beautifully human: dolan tay raakho — "protect me from wavering / wandering" — and day kar hath — "reach out and give me Your hand." Any child knows this feeling: asking for a steadying hand when you feel wobbly. The image of the all-powerful One holding a small person steady by the hand is exactly the intimacy the whole Bavan Akhri keeps returning to — vast power, expressed as gentle nearness.
Who or what helps steady you when you feel wobbly inside? What does it feel like to be held steady?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI