The One is deep beyond measure and near as your own home — and pride is the only thing that hides it.
The Arc
The hymn opens on pure oneness: the whole universe sprouts from within the One, age after age, with no rival power. From that ground Nanak examines the forms of seeking that miss the mark — solitude that feeds pride, scripture read to impress, pilgrimage that leaves the inner ache untouched, and forceful discipline that even the Siddhas and gods could not make satisfy. The turn comes at stanza seven: devotion wells up from the One by grace, not effort. It closes with the emptied heart — when ego melts, the mind is drenched in love and comes home.
Key Vocabulary
Ut-bhuj — the created universe, sprouted forth from within the One.
Naam ratan heeraa nirmol — the Name as a priceless, unbuyable jewel.
Ghar dar saachaa — the True One found in the home of the self, not far off.
Abhimaan — pride; the one thing that grows even in a forest or on a mountain.
Karam / kirpaa — grace; the Name is received, never earned.
Man bheenai — the mind drenched, saturated with love once ego departs.
Themes and Cross-Connections
'Deep beyond measure, near as home' is the hymn's paradox and its comfort. It joins the Raamkalee yogic set's steady refusal of outer technique as a substitute for the inner turn, and it foregrounds grace: even the greatest seekers cannot force fulfillment — it is received when pride melts.
For Raag Raamkalee
Where the surrounding hymns dismantle specific Yogic practices, this one supplies the metaphysical ground: one Source, present in the home of the self, entered only by an open heart.
Translation Notes
P5 carries the original's harshest imagery (semen-control, the City of Death, torment). Per wellbeing rules all of it is dropped and bent to hope; the retained teaching is that willpower alone cannot still the mind — only the Name can.
Jam teer (Death's arrow, P1) softened to 'the fears that strike us.'
Siddhas, sages, and gods (P6) kept respectful and evenhanded.
Karam rendered as grace received, never as earned reward.
The One is deep beyond measure and near as your own home — and pride is the only thing that hides it.
The Arc
The hymn opens on pure oneness: the whole universe sprouts from within the One, age after age, with no rival power. From that ground Nanak examines the forms of seeking that miss the mark — solitude that feeds pride, scripture read to impress, pilgrimage that leaves the inner ache untouched, and forceful discipline that even the Siddhas and gods could not make satisfy. The turn comes at stanza seven: devotion wells up from the One by grace, not effort. It closes with the emptied heart — when ego melts, the mind is drenched in love and comes home.
Key Vocabulary
Themes and Cross-Connections
'Deep beyond measure, near as home' is the hymn's paradox and its comfort. It joins the Raamkalee yogic set's steady refusal of outer technique as a substitute for the inner turn, and it foregrounds grace: even the greatest seekers cannot force fulfillment — it is received when pride melts.
For Raag Raamkalee
Where the surrounding hymns dismantle specific Yogic practices, this one supplies the metaphysical ground: one Source, present in the home of the self, entered only by an open heart.
Translation Notes