Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
The teacher is the One of the universe. The teacher is the One of the world. The teacher is the perfect, all-pervading One.
The teacher is compassionate. The teacher is all-powerful. The teacher, Nanak, is the saving grace of the fallen.
This part is a song of thanks to the Guru, the teacher who makes the One reachable.
Near the end of this long poem, three verses in a row pile up praise for the teacher. This is the first. Gur gobind gopaal gur — the Guru is the One of the universe, the One of the world. Gur pooran naaraa-ineh — the Guru is the perfect One, present everywhere.
In Sikh teaching this does not mean worshipping a person. It means the Guru is the One's own presence, made close enough to reach. The Guru is the door through which the One without any form can be found. Think of a window that lets the sunlight into a room. You love the window because it brings you the sun.
Gur da-i-aal samrath — the Guru is kind and all-powerful. Patit uDhaarneh — the Guru lifts up those who have fallen, exactly the ones who most need it. This high praise is the natural thankfulness of someone who was carried across. Once rescued, you can't thank the rescuer enough.
Why might someone who was rescued from something hard have endless gratitude for the one who helped them across?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI