ਬਲਿਹਾਰੀ ਗੁਰ ਆਪਣੇ ਸਦ ਬਲਿਹਾਰੈ ਜਾਉ ॥
balihaaree gur aapnay sad balihaarai jaa-o.
I am a sacrifice to my Guru; I am forever a sacrifice to Him.
ਗੁਰ ਬਿਨੁ ਏਤਾ ਭਵਿ ਥਕੀ ਗੁਰਿ ਪਿਰੁ ਮੇਲਿਮੁ ਦਿਤਮੁ ਮਿਲਾਇ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
gur bin aytaa bhav thakee gur pir maylim ditam milaa-ay. ||1|| rahaa-o.
Wandering so far without the Guru, I grew weary; now, the Guru has united me in Union with my Husband Lord. ||1||Pause||
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
I give myself to my Guru; again and again, I give myself to the Guru.
Without the Guru, I wandered so far that I grew tired. Now the Guru has brought me to my Beloved.
After all the tired searching, the Guru leads you straight home.
The Guru brings the tired wanderer home, and the heart overflows with thanks.
This is the rahaau, the heart of the song. Balihaaree gur aapnay — I am a sacrifice to my Guru — is the language of overflowing gratitude. The wanderer had grown thakee, weary, from seeking without the Guru; then gur pir maylim, the Guru united the seeker with the Beloved. The reunion is a gift, not a reward for the wandering.
A Question to Sit With
Have you ever looked hard for something that turned out to be closer than you thought?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI
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