Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Shiva, Brahma, the demons and the gods, all of them pass into the fire of death.
Nanak says: I seek shelter at Your lotus feet. O Creator, please do not send me away from You.
Everything passes in time except the One, so the heart asks to stay close.
Siv biranch asur sur jaytay — Shiva, Brahma, the demons and the gods. Kaal agan meh jartay — all of them pass away in the fire of time. Even the mightiest beings anyone can name do not last forever. Only the One stays. The Hindu gods are named with respect here, as fellow beings inside the one reality, not as rivals.
Then comes the prayer. Saran charan kamlan kee — Nanak takes shelter at the One's lotus feet. Tum na daarahu parabh kartay — "Creator, please do not send me away."
Think of a small child holding a parent's hand in a busy train station. The child is not asking for much. Just: keep me near. That is the longing of Raag Malaar — to be home, and to belong.
What does home mean to you beyond a building?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI