Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
I've let go of leaning on my own strength, my brother.
Mind and body belong to the One; this whole life is held in the One's hands.
This line is about the relief of letting go and leaning on the One.
It is the rahaa-o, the "pause" line, the center of the shabad (hymn). Hamraa jor sabh rahi-o mayray beer — I have let go of all my own strength, my brother. Sabh har kai vas hai sareer — the mind and body belong to the One, and this whole body is in the One's hands.
This is not being weak or giving up. It is the relief of stopping a tiring pretend game — the game where everything depends on me alone.
Think of floating in a swimming pool. As long as you thrash and fight, you sink. The moment you relax and lie back, the water holds you up. Letting go of "my" strength is not falling apart. It is leaning, at last, on something that really holds.
What are you gripping with 'your own strength' that you could set down into steadier hands?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI