Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
There is only One. And the One is found by the True Guru's grace — a gift that is always here, waiting for an open heart.
The one who bows in deep respect to the Primal Lord, the King of all beings:
to such a Guru I give myself, again and again. That Guru is free, and carries me across too.
A Guru who bows to the One is free, and lifts you across too.
This is the rahaa-o line. Rahaa-o means "pause." It is the center of the shabad, like the chorus of a song.
It begins with naaraa-in narpat namaskaarai: bowing to the One, the Lord of all beings. A namaskaar is a humble bow. Then: aisay gur ka-o bal bal jaa-ee-ai, "to such a Guru I give myself again and again." Bal jaa-ee-ai means I would give anything, out of love.
Why? Because of this: aap mukat mohi taarai, "free himself, he carries me across." Mukat means free.
Think of a strong swimmer who has already reached the shore. They swim back out and help others in. The one who is free lifts others, just by being free.
Who in your life feels free in a way that lifts you up too?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI