Raag Kaanraa
Commentary

Raag Kaanraa, Shabad, Mehl 5 (Guru Arjan)

You took my hand and lifted me out of the swamp; I seek no other door.

The Arc

The rahau: the sanctuary of the merciful Master, and nowhere else; it is His nature to lift the fallen. The first verse: the world a swamp of tangles and pride, dazzled by the passing world — but God took me by the hand and lifted me out. The close: master of the masterless, clearer of countless faults; the mind thirsts for His vision, and the tongue sings His praise.

Key Vocabulary

  • charan saran da-i-aal thaakur — sanctuary of the merciful Master
  • kar gahay prabh aap kaadhahu — God takes the hand and lifts one out
  • anaath naath — master of those who have no one
  • man darsanai kee pi-aas — the mind thirsts for the vision

Themes and Cross-Connections

Being taken by the hand: rescue is not something the swimmer earns but something a hand reaches in to give. The thirst for the vision keeps the raag's longing alive even after rescue.

For Raag Kaanraa

Kaanraa holds together helplessness and hope — the tangled heart and the hand that lifts it free.

Translation Notes

saisaar gaar (world as swamp) and the fallen, blinded seeker are softened toward being caught and then lifted, keeping the emphasis on rescue rather than condemnation.

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