ਪਰਉਪਕਾਰੀ ਸਰਬ ਸਧਾਰੀ ਸਫਲ ਦਰਸਨ ਸਹਜਇਆ ॥
par-upkaaree sarab saDhaaree safal darsan sehaj-i-aa.
He is generous and benevolent, the beautifier of all, the embodiment of peace; the Blessed Vision of His Darshan is so fruitful!
ਕਹੁ ਨਾਨਕ ਨਿਰਗੁਣ ਕਉ ਦਾਤਾ ਚਰਣ ਕਮਲ ਉਰ ਧਰਿਆ ॥੨॥੨੪॥
kaho naanak nirgun ka-o daataa charan kamal ur Dhari-aa. ||2||24||
Says Nanak, He is the Giver to the unworthy; I enshrine His Lotus Feet within my heart. ||2||24||
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Generous, kind, the beautifier of all, peace itself — how fruitful is the sight of it!
Nanak says: it gives even to the unworthy; I keep its feet in my heart.
Grace is the Giver's gift to the unworthy, not a wage for the deserving — so it's available to anyone honest enough to admit they haven't earned it.
The close names the One "the Giver to the unworthy" — grace defined precisely: it gives to those who have not earned it. This is the deepest comfort of the shabad: you do not have to become worthy first. The Giver's generosity is not a wage for the deserving but a gift to the unworthy — which means it is available to anyone honest enough to admit they haven't earned it.
A Question to Sit With
Is it freeing to think you don't have to earn worth first — that grace is precisely for the unworthy?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI
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