Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Like a boat that carries you across a frightening ocean; like a lamp that fills a dark room with light; like a fire that melts away the ache of bitter cold —
that is what it feels like to keep the Name in mind. The heart, held that way, grows peaceful.
This one says keeping the Name in mind is like finding help right where you need it.
Guru Arjan gives three homely pictures. A bohith, a boat, on the bhai saagar, the ocean of fear. A deepak, a lamp, in the andhkaar, the darkness. Agan, fire, against seet, the cold. Each one meets a real fear with a real comfort.
Think of being lost on a dark, cold night by the water. A boat gets you across. A lamp shows the way. A warm fire takes the shiver out of your hands.
Then comes the turn. Naam japat man hovat sookh — keeping the Name, the mind grows peaceful. Each picture answers one kind of trouble: danger, darkness, cold. So the peace does not feel like a promise out of nowhere. It feels earned, like warmth after a long walk in the snow.
When you feel afraid or cold inside, what warms you back up?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI