"I am exhausted; I seek the shelter of Your Sanctuary; O God, please bless me with the gift of fearlessness."
The Arc
The fear of death admitted, brought to sanctuary (rahau); weariness of the old way, the anxiety still gnawing (v.1); the futile running in ten directions, the One within not yet grasped (v.2); no credentials, exhausted surrender, fearlessness asked for as a gift (v.3).
Key Vocabulary
paij / honor — "don't let me be ashamed for trusting You."
haar pario / weary of sinning — change beginning as exhaustion, not heroic resolve.
das dis / ten directions — frantic self-effort that arrives nowhere.
abhai daan / gift of fearlessness — courage as grace, asked for, not achieved.
Translation Notes
The literal "great sinner, foolish, greedy" is rendered as honest weariness ("I have wasted much... tired of going wrong"), keeping the confession's honesty while avoiding self-contempt, per the wellbeing voice-rule. The self-lowering is confession-toward-grace.
Themes and Cross-Connections
No-credentials-surrender links to Guru Arjan's Shabad 23 ("I know nothing of wisdom/meditation") and Devgandhaari Shabad 15. Running-in-ten-directions links to Shabad 25's forest-search. Fearlessness-as-gift links to Devgandhaari Shabad 42 and Shabad 20.
For Raag Jaitsree
The rawest, most honest shabad in the raag — the in-between middle of real change: tired of the old, still afraid, no credentials, and asking only that courage be given. Guru Tegh Bahadur's gift to anyone caught mid-transformation.
"I am exhausted; I seek the shelter of Your Sanctuary; O God, please bless me with the gift of fearlessness."
The Arc
The fear of death admitted, brought to sanctuary (rahau); weariness of the old way, the anxiety still gnawing (v.1); the futile running in ten directions, the One within not yet grasped (v.2); no credentials, exhausted surrender, fearlessness asked for as a gift (v.3).
Key Vocabulary
Translation Notes
The literal "great sinner, foolish, greedy" is rendered as honest weariness ("I have wasted much... tired of going wrong"), keeping the confession's honesty while avoiding self-contempt, per the wellbeing voice-rule. The self-lowering is confession-toward-grace.
Themes and Cross-Connections
No-credentials-surrender links to Guru Arjan's Shabad 23 ("I know nothing of wisdom/meditation") and Devgandhaari Shabad 15. Running-in-ten-directions links to Shabad 25's forest-search. Fearlessness-as-gift links to Devgandhaari Shabad 42 and Shabad 20.
For Raag Jaitsree
The rawest, most honest shabad in the raag — the in-between middle of real change: tired of the old, still afraid, no credentials, and asking only that courage be given. Guru Tegh Bahadur's gift to anyone caught mid-transformation.