Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
I feel like a heavy stone that can't float.
But kindness led me to wisdom. By its good words, this stone is carried safely across.
This one says: even if you feel like a stone that can't float, you can be carried across.
These lines are the rahao, the "pause" line, the center of the shabad. Raam ham paathar nirgunee-aaray — "O Lord, I am an unworthy stone." A stone cannot float on its own. Calling yourself one is honest smallness, not hating yourself.
Then comes the turn. Kindness leads to the Guru, the wise teacher, and "through the Word, this stone is carried across." Grace lifts what cannot lift itself. Think of a kid who can't swim yet, holding on to a float while a grown-up guides them across the pool. They get to the other side, and not by their own strength alone.
When something feels too heavy to do alone, who carries you across?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI