Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Savior, save us and carry us across.
Falling at the teaching's feet, our work is finished off with a perfect polish. You have turned kind and gentle; we don't forget You. In good company we are carried over the frightening sea. In an instant You cleared away the bitter and the hostile. That One is my anchor; Nanak says, hold firm — remember, and happiness comes, and sorrows simply vanish.
The paired Shalok is a prayer of rescue and gratitude. Notice the two gifts named: our efforts are "embellished with perfection" (grace completes what we start imperfectly), and "sorrows and pains simply vanish" in remembrance. And the anchor-image — "hold firm in your mind" — is the Vaar's steadying counsel: in rough water, grip the one thing that holds.
What have you started imperfectly that you could hand over to be 'finished off' by something larger?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI