Every tradition points at the One, and the One is larger than any single map of it.
The Arc
A shabad of vastness and grace.
P0 (v1) — the One is the boat over the frightening ocean; the five inner troubles are tamed by reflection.
P1 (rahau) — a child's prayer: reach out Your hand to the ones You made.
P2 (v2) — the great scriptures and every kind of seeker all point at the One, and none can reach its edge.
P3 (v3) — even the old powers long for the One; loving devotion is given, and rare.
P4 (v4) — empty hands are the open hands grace can fill.
Key Vocabulary
bhav saagar — the frightening ocean of existence. Simrit, Saastar, Bayd, Puraan — the great Hindu scriptures, named with respect. alakh abhayv — the unseen, impenetrable One. praym bhagat jis aapay day-ay — devotion is given, not achieved. mohi nirgun — 'I have no merit'; rendered as empty-handedness.
Themes and Cross-Connections
The heart of the shabad is humility before vastness: the One is larger than any tradition's map, and even devotion to it is a gift, not an accomplishment. P4 models the project's voice perfectly — 'empty hands are the hands grace can fill' — turning self-abasement into open-handed readiness.
For Raag Gond
Gond widens here into cosmic scale, then returns to the small open palm; the raag holds both the boundless and the intimate.
Translation Notes
Interfaith evenhandedness: the Simritees, Shaastras, Vedas, Puraanas and the yogis/celibates/Vaishnavs (P2) are named respectfully as fellow pointers at the One; Shiva and the devas (P3) are fellow-longers, not figures to mock. The teaching is the One's boundlessness, not any tradition's failure.
Self-abasement -> empty-handedness:mohi nirgun (P4) rendered as coming with empty hands, without shame.
Every tradition points at the One, and the One is larger than any single map of it.
The Arc
A shabad of vastness and grace.
Key Vocabulary
bhav saagar — the frightening ocean of existence. Simrit, Saastar, Bayd, Puraan — the great Hindu scriptures, named with respect. alakh abhayv — the unseen, impenetrable One. praym bhagat jis aapay day-ay — devotion is given, not achieved. mohi nirgun — 'I have no merit'; rendered as empty-handedness.
Themes and Cross-Connections
The heart of the shabad is humility before vastness: the One is larger than any tradition's map, and even devotion to it is a gift, not an accomplishment. P4 models the project's voice perfectly — 'empty hands are the hands grace can fill' — turning self-abasement into open-handed readiness.
For Raag Gond
Gond widens here into cosmic scale, then returns to the small open palm; the raag holds both the boundless and the intimate.
Translation Notes
Last updated: 2026-07-09