My Master is great, I am small, and I am cared for.
The Arc
A short, tender shabad of very brief lines. The Master is utterly great; the self is small and held. The enticing Beloved (Mohan Laal) is dear as breath and gives freely. Having tested all, one finds there is no other; the One sustains every being and was, is, and always will be. It closes with a plea for mercy and a life of loving service.
Key Vocabulary
Ati bhaaraa — utterly great, immense
Mohan Laal — the enticing Beloved
Hai hosee aahay — He was, is, and shall always be
Sayvaa — loving service
Themes and Cross-Connections
The smallness-and-safety pairing is the shabad's heart: to be small before the great One is to be held, not diminished.
For Raag Maaroo
A miniature of trust — vastness met not with fear but with belonging.
Translation Notes
"Poor servant" (baychaaraa) is softened to small and empty-handed and cared for, keeping the humility without self-condemnation.
My Master is great, I am small, and I am cared for.
The Arc
A short, tender shabad of very brief lines. The Master is utterly great; the self is small and held. The enticing Beloved (Mohan Laal) is dear as breath and gives freely. Having tested all, one finds there is no other; the One sustains every being and was, is, and always will be. It closes with a plea for mercy and a life of loving service.
Key Vocabulary
Themes and Cross-Connections
The smallness-and-safety pairing is the shabad's heart: to be small before the great One is to be held, not diminished.
For Raag Maaroo
A miniature of trust — vastness met not with fear but with belonging.
Translation Notes
"Poor servant" (baychaaraa) is softened to small and empty-handed and cared for, keeping the humility without self-condemnation.
Last updated: 2026-07-09