Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
We are just the unknowing children of the One. All praise to the true teacher, who made me wise through the One's teaching.
This one says it honestly: we are small children, and we do not know much yet.
This is the rahaa-o, the "pause" line. It is the center of the shabad, the part everything else turns around. mayray raam ham baarik har parabh kay hai i-aanay — O my Lord, we are Your children, and we do not understand.
Then comes a burst of thanks: Dhan Dhan guroo — blessed, blessed is the Guru. The Guru is the teacher who made us wise with the One's teachings.
Think of a child learning to read. The child does not invent the letters. A teacher shows them, one by one. The mother-and-child closeness of the first verse goes on here. Our wisdom is not something we make by ourselves. We receive it from the teacher.
What is something you only understood because someone patiently taught you?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI