Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Serve the teaching, and you receive the Name of the One who has no limit.
The Giver lifts you up when you feel you are going under, and hands you the gift of the Name.
Blessed, blessed are the merchants who trade in the Name.
The students come like traders, and the Word carries them across.
Those touched by grace are the ones who serve the Maker.
A Mehl 4 verse rich with the merchant imagery that runs through this Vaar. Life is a trading voyage; the wise "merchants" (saah, vanjaaray) deal in the Name, and the Word (sabad) is the ferry that carries them across. The literal's bhaojal — "the terrifying world-ocean" — is softened to "when you feel you are going under": the emphasis is on rescue, not terror. The Giver (Daataar) does the lifting; the trader only shows up ready to trade. And the closing line keeps grace central: those who serve are the ones grace has already touched — received, not earned.
Think of a time someone helped you exactly when you needed it most. What did it feel like to be lifted up like that?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI