Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
O Beloved, Keeper of the earth, Life of my soul —
please don't let me slip from Your mind. I am Yours.
Ravidas reaches for the One and says: do not forget me, I am Yours.
This is the Rahao, the "pause" line, the center of the shabad. It turns the whole song from ache to trust. Ravidas has named his low feelings. Now he simply reaches out: "Do not forget me. I am Yours."
Look at how he speaks to the Beloved. Jee-a kay jeevnaa — "Life of my soul." The One is not a far-off judge. The One is the very aliveness inside him.
The plea "do not forget me" is not fear that the One really would. It is the tender way a heart speaks when it wants to stay close. Think of a small child holding a parent's hand in a crowd and saying, "Don't let go." The theme is belonging, not earning a place. I am Yours, no matter what anyone says about my birth.
What does it feel like to know you belong somewhere no matter what?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI