Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
From the moment I found the company of awakened hearts, and met the teacher, the demon of my pride packed up and left. Now with every breath I take, Nanak sings the wonders of the One. The true teacher gently drew a cover over all my faults — protected me, shielded me — instead of exposing my shame.
The shabad closes by naming what changed everything: the company and the Guru. Jab te saadhoo sangat paae — "from the time I found the saadhoo sangat (the company of the holy)." This is Sat Sangat, the section's constant teaching: the turning point is finding the right company. And the immediate effect: gur bhetat hau gaee balaae — "on meeting the Guru, the hau (ego, the I-am-ness) — that balaae (demon, affliction, evil spirit) — departed." Notice haumai is here called a balaae — a demon, a possessing affliction. The ego is portrayed not as a part of you to be proud of but as something afflicting you, like a possession that needs to leave. And it leaves not through your wrestling but on meeting the Guru — the demon flees the Guru's presence.
With the ego-demon gone, the natural result: saas saas har gaavai — "with every saas (breath), [Nanak] sings the One." Once the hau that was always talking about itself has departed, what fills the space? Continuous remembrance, breath by breath. The Rahao's vision of all-the-time remembrance (standing, sitting, sleeping, waking) is realized here — but only after the ego-demon left. You cannot remember the One continuously while the ego is hogging the attention; remove the ego, and remembrance flows naturally with each breath.
The final image is tender and full of grace: satgur dhaak leeaa meraa parhdaa — "the Satgur drew a parhdaa (curtain, cover) over my [faults/shame]." Dhaak leeaa — "covered, drew a veil over." The idiom is traditionally explained as the Guru preserving the speaker's honour, including by protecting her from the assaults of the vices; covering faults is one devotional way of hearing it. Rather than exposing the seeker's failures to shame, the Guru covered her, protected her, drew a curtain of mercy around her. This is one of the most moving notes in the section: the Guru's love does not parade your wrongs; it shields you. Where the world exposes and shames, the Guru covers and protects. This is grace as tenderness — the faults are not displayed but mercifully hidden, the way a parent protects a child's dignity. The arc completes: remember always by grace (Rahao), the Name as medicine heals (P1), the Beloved at your side ends fear (P2), and finally the company and Guru drive out the ego-demon and draw a protective veil that keeps your honour, so that breath by breath you simply sing. Signed with the lineage's name, Nanak. The Guru does not expose us; the Guru covers us in mercy.
The Guru "covered" the seeker's faults instead of exposing them. Think of a time someone protected you from embarrassment instead of pointing out your mistake. How did that mercy feel?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI