Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Why lean my whole self on something that cannot hold me when I need it most?
Instead I keep the Name close, take in the teaching, and let it settle in my heart.
Night and day, holding the Name, is the one hope that truly carries me all the way through.
The verse asks a clear question: tis kaa bharvaasaa ki-o keejai — why trust what cannot help at the end? The frightening picture of a final moment is turned here toward reassurance: the Name is what stays with you the whole way, not something that abandons you. Har preet chitaasaa — those who hold love for the One in their awareness are carried across. Nanak's closing is the shabad's seal: this is saachaa bharvaasaa, the one true and lasting hope.
What is one hope in your life that you would want to still be standing years from now?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI