ਕਰਿ ਕਿਰਪਾ ਜਨ ਲੀਏ ਛਡਾਇ ॥
kar kirpaa jan lee-ay chhadaa-ay.
In His Mercy, He saves His humble servants.
ਜਿਸ ਕੇ ਸੇ ਤਿਨਿ ਰਖੇ ਹਟਾਇ ॥
jis kay say tin rakhay hataa-ay.
They belong to Him, and so He saves them by driving out the five.
ਕਹੁ ਨਾਨਕ ਭਗਤਿ ਪ੍ਰਭ ਸਾਰੁ ॥
kaho naanak bhagat parabh saar.
Says Nanak, devotion to God is noble and sublime.
ਬਿਨੁ ਭਗਤੀ ਸਭ ਹੋਇ ਖੁਆਰੁ ॥੪॥੯॥੧੧॥
bin bhagtee sabh ho-ay khu-aar. ||4||9||11||
Without devotion, all just waste away uselessly. ||4||9||11||
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
In mercy, the One frees those who love it, driving the five troubles away.
Devotion to the One is truly precious — without it, people simply lose their way.
It is mercy, not force, that frees us from the pulls that lead us astray.
Kar kirpaa jan lee-ay chhadaa-ay — in mercy, the One sets its people free; jis kay say tin rakhay — they belong to the One, so the One keeps them. The literal 'all waste away' is softened to 'lose their way,' keeping the teaching's point — that bhagti (devotion) is what gives life direction — without a harsh verdict. The whole shabad rests on mercy, not on winning a fight.
A Question to Sit With
When has kindness, more than willpower, helped you change something?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI
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