Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
The One is the giver of every good quality; I have none of my own. Sinners sink like stones -- but through the teacher, the One carries them across. You give all virtue, pure One; I am empty of it. I have come into your shelter -- save me, the way you have saved even the foolish.
This one says we cannot float on our own goodness, but the One carries us across.
A stone thrown into a river sinks straight down. Paapee paathar doobday — those who do wrong sink like stones. Gurmat means the Guru's teaching. Through it, the One carries them across. Think of a swimmer with a heavy backpack. They cannot float, but a boat can carry them, backpack and all.
The verse says honestly, "I have no virtue of my own." This is not hating yourself. It is seeing clearly. And seeing clearly opens the door to grace, the One's free gift.
The hope rests on what has already happened. Moorh mugaDh nistaaray — You have saved even the foolish. Grace has a track record. It has done it before, and it can do it again.
Does knowing others have been helped before make it easier to ask for help yourself?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI