Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
When my mind is full of the One, I float across every hard thing the way a swimmer crosses deep water. Grace makes this possible.
Pain, sickness, and fear cannot get a grip on a heart that is quietly holding the Name — keeping the One in mind the way you keep someone you love in your thoughts even when they are not in the room. That Name is sweet inside me, like something that gives life.
When the One fills your mind, you are carried safely through hard things.
This shabad by Guru Arjan centers on amrit naam, the sweet, life-giving Name. It is the inner presence of the One.
Tarai means swims across. Gurbani often pictures a troubled life as a wide ocean. The swimmer here is not stronger than the water. They are simply carried. Think of floating in the sea with a life jacket. The waves still come, but they hold you up.
Karam here means grace, not just good deeds. It is the openness through which the One comes in.
The verse says pain, sickness, and fear do not touch such a person. That is not a magic shield against hard times. It is the steadiness of someone whose roots go down into something that cannot be shaken.
What is one thing you carry in your mind that makes you feel steady even when everything around you is loud?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI