My little boat wobbles under the weight of my mistakes, so I turn to face the One who carries others across, and ask to be carried too.
The Arc
Some days your little boat feels overloaded. The wrong things you have done pile up like heavy bags, and then the wind picks up. What if it tips? Turn around and face the Guru, the way a scared swimmer turns toward the lifeguard. Ask to be lifted. You do not need special powers or a shelf of medals. Whoever keeps the One in mind is the accomplished one. You may not be an expert at hard practices, and that is fine. Keep repeating the Naam. Bow with love, let the Word in, and the knots inside you come loose. At the centre, the Rahao: O Guru, You who carry others across, carry me too, and give me love for the One who never fades.
Key Vocabulary
berhee — a small boat.
paap — here, mistakes and burdens.
sunmukh — turned to face the Guru.
sidh — the accomplished one; here, the lover of the One.
nibayraa — a settling, a being set free.
Themes and Cross-Connections
The hymn quietly redefines spiritual success. The sidh (accomplished one) is not the yogi with powers but the lover of the One, and the wealth is not technique but devotion. This is the humility that runs through Guru Nanak's whole engagement with the yogis.
For Raag Raamkalee
In a raag full of yogis proud of their attainments, this Tipada answers with the smallest boat and the largest trust: accomplishment is love, and the ferry is grace.
Hukumnama
Subject: Ask the Guru to carry you across Preview: a wobbly little boat, a rising wind, a ferry across the river, and knots coming loose.
Today: Some days your little boat feels overloaded. The wrong things you have done pile up like heavy bags, and then the wind picks up. What if it tips? Turn around and face the Guru, the way a scared swimmer turns toward the lifeguard. Ask to be lifted. You do not need special powers or a shelf of medals. Whoever keeps the One in mind is the accomplished one. You may not be an expert at hard practices, and that is fine. Keep repeating the Naam. Bow with love, let the Word in, and the knots inside you come loose.
The Guru carries others across, and you can ask to be carried too.
For today: If something you did is weighing on you, tell someone you trust and set the heavy bag down.
My little boat wobbles under the weight of my mistakes, so I turn to face the One who carries others across, and ask to be carried too.
The Arc
Some days your little boat feels overloaded. The wrong things you have done pile up like heavy bags, and then the wind picks up. What if it tips? Turn around and face the Guru, the way a scared swimmer turns toward the lifeguard. Ask to be lifted. You do not need special powers or a shelf of medals. Whoever keeps the One in mind is the accomplished one. You may not be an expert at hard practices, and that is fine. Keep repeating the Naam. Bow with love, let the Word in, and the knots inside you come loose. At the centre, the Rahao: O Guru, You who carry others across, carry me too, and give me love for the One who never fades.
Key Vocabulary
Themes and Cross-Connections
The hymn quietly redefines spiritual success. The sidh (accomplished one) is not the yogi with powers but the lover of the One, and the wealth is not technique but devotion. This is the humility that runs through Guru Nanak's whole engagement with the yogis.
For Raag Raamkalee
In a raag full of yogis proud of their attainments, this Tipada answers with the smallest boat and the largest trust: accomplishment is love, and the ferry is grace.
Hukumnama
Subject: Ask the Guru to carry you across Preview: a wobbly little boat, a rising wind, a ferry across the river, and knots coming loose.
Today: Some days your little boat feels overloaded. The wrong things you have done pile up like heavy bags, and then the wind picks up. What if it tips? Turn around and face the Guru, the way a scared swimmer turns toward the lifeguard. Ask to be lifted. You do not need special powers or a shelf of medals. Whoever keeps the One in mind is the accomplished one. You may not be an expert at hard practices, and that is fine. Keep repeating the Naam. Bow with love, let the Word in, and the knots inside you come loose.
The Guru carries others across, and you can ask to be carried too.
For today: If something you did is weighing on you, tell someone you trust and set the heavy bag down.