ਹਰਿ ਆਪੇ ਬੇੜੀ ਤੁਲਹਾ ਤਾਰਾ ॥
har aapay bayrhee tulhaa taaraa.
The Lord Himself is the Boat, the Raft and the Boatman.
ਹਰਿ ਆਪੇ ਗੁਰਮਤੀ ਨਿਸਤਾਰਾ ॥
har aapay gurmatee nistaaraa.
The Lord Himself, through the Guru's Teachings, saves us.
ਹਰਿ ਆਪੇ ਨਾਨਕ ਪਾਵੈ ਪਾਰਾ ॥੪॥੬॥੪੪॥
har aapay naanak paavai paaraa. ||4||6||44||
O Nanak, the Lord Himself carries us across to the other side. ||4||6||44||
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
The One itself is the boat, the raft, and the boatman. Through the teaching, the One saves us. The One carries us all the way to the far shore.
The One is the boat, the boatman, and the far shore -- it carries us across itself.
The litany completes at the crossing: the One is the boat, the raft, and the boatman (cf. the ferry-boat image). There is nothing outside the One to ferry us -- the crossing of the world-ocean is the One carrying itself across, through the Guru's teachings.
A Question to Sit With
What would it feel like to trust that the help, the helper, and the destination are all one?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI
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