ਮਃ ੪ ॥
mehlaa 4.
Fourth Mehl:
ਸਾਗਰੁ ਦੇਖਉ ਡਰਿ ਮਰਉ ਭੈ ਤੇਰੈ ਡਰੁ ਨਾਹਿ ॥
saagar daykh-a-u dar mara-o bhai tayrai dar naahi.
Gazing upon the world-ocean, I am afraid of death; but if I live in the Fear of You, God, then I am not afraid.
ਗੁਰ ਕੈ ਸਬਦਿ ਸੰਤੋਖੀਆ ਨਾਨਕ ਬਿਗਸਾ ਨਾਇ ॥੨॥
gur kai sabad santokhee-aa naanak bigsaa naa-ay. ||2||
Through the Word of the Guru's Shabad, I am content; O Nanak, I blossom forth in the Name. ||2||
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
When I look out at the wide, churning sea of the world, worry about endings can rise in me.
But when I live in loving awe of You, that worry loses its grip, and I am not afraid.
Resting in the Guru's Word, I feel content. Nanak says: I blossom like a flower opening in the Naam.
Standing in loving awe of the One is what quiets every smaller fear.
A shalok of the Fourth Mehl. The word often translated 'Fear of God' means loving awe, reverence, not dread. Living in that awe is precisely what dissolves ordinary fear, including fear of endings. The image of blossoming (bigsaa) is the natural opening that follows.
A Question to Sit With
When you feel wonder or awe, what happens to your worries?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI
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