Rambling and roaming, wandering around, I came to seek the Sanctuary of God.
ਦੀਨਾ ਨਾਥ ਜਗਤ ਪਿਤ ਮਾਇਆ ॥
deenaa naath jagat pit maa-i-aa.
He is the Master of the meek, the father and mother of the world.
ਪ੍ਰਭ ਦਇਆਲ ਦੁਖ ਦਰਦ ਬਿਦਾਰਣ ॥
parabhda-i-aal dukhdarad bidaaran.
The Merciful Lord God is the Destroyer of sorrow and suffering.
ਜਿਸੁ ਭਾਵੈ ਤਿਸ ਹੀ ਨਿਸਤਾਰਣ ॥
jis bhaavai tis hee nistaaran.
He emancipates whoever He pleases.
ਅੰਧ ਕੂਪ ਤੇ ਕਾਢਨਹਾਰਾ ॥
anDh koop tay kaadhanhaaraa.
He lifts them up and pulls him out of the deep dark pit.
ਪ੍ਰੇਮ ਭਗਤਿ ਹੋਵਤ ਨਿਸਤਾਰਾ ॥
paraym bhagat hovat nistaaraa.
Emancipation comes through loving devotional worship.
ਸਾਧ ਰੂਪ ਅਪਨਾ ਤਨੁ ਧਾਰਿਆ ॥
saaDh roop apnaa tan Dhaari-aa.
The Holy Saint is the very embodiment of the Lord's form.
ਮਹਾ ਅਗਨਿ ਤੇ ਆਪਿ ਉਬਾਰਿਆ ॥
mahaa agan tay aap ubaari-aa.
He Himself saves us from the great fire.
ਜਪ ਤਪ ਸੰਜਮ ਇਸ ਤੇ ਕਿਛੁ ਨਾਹੀ ॥
jap tap sanjam is tay kichh naahee.
By myself, I cannot practice meditation, austerities, penance and self-discipline.
ਆਦਿ ਅੰਤਿ ਪ੍ਰਭ ਅਗਮ ਅਗਾਹੀ ॥
aad ant parabh agam agaahee.
In the beginning and in the end, God is inaccessible and unfathomable.
ਨਾਮੁ ਦੇਹਿ ਮਾਗੈ ਦਾਸੁ ਤੇਰਾ ॥
naam deh maagai daas tayraa.
Please bless me with Your Name, Lord; Your slave begs only for this.
ਹਰਿ ਜੀਵਨ ਪਦੁ ਨਾਨਕ ਪ੍ਰਭੁ ਮੇਰਾ ॥੪॥੩॥੧੯॥
har jeevan pad naanak parabh mayraa. ||4||3||19||
O Nanak, my Lord God is the Giver of the true state of life. ||4||3||19||
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
In plain words
After all my wandering, I finally came and sat down in the One's shelter.
The One is like a father and a mother to the whole world, the gentle undoer of sorrow, reaching down to lift me out of the dark.
On my own I can't manage all the disciplines, so I simply ask for the Naam. Nanak says, my Lord gives the gift of true life.
After all the wandering, there is shelter.
The deeper layer
After all the wandering, the seeker comes home to shelter.
Bharmat bharmat parabh sarnee aa-i-aa — wandering and wandering, I came to God's shelter. Sarnee means shelter, a safe place to rest. The One is deenaa naath, the friend of the humble. The One is father and mother to the whole world.
The One undoes sorrow. The One lifts people out of the andh koop, the deep dark well. Loving devotion is what carries us across. The verse adds that a holy person carries the One's own form. The One saves us from the great fire of wanting.
Then comes an honest line: jap tap sanjam is tay kichh naahee. On my own I cannot manage all the prayers, hard disciplines and self-control. Think of a small child who cannot reach the top shelf. The child simply asks. So the seeker simply asks for the Name. The One is beyond reach from beginning to end. Yet the One gives jeevan pad, real life, to whoever asks.
A Question to Sit With
Where do you go when you need to feel safe and held?
