Who shaped you from water and clay, kept you safe, and gave you air, food, family, and every sense — hold that One in mind.
The Arc
You were shaped from water and clay. You were given a mind and awareness. In the womb, you were kept safe. Then the people you love: parents, brothers and sisters, children, friends. Then priceless air, water and fire. Then food, a body to take it in, and the earth to use. Eyes, ears, hands, feet, your head held high. Each gift points to the Giver. Your mind drags its feet, yet you cannot last a moment without the One. With no good deeds to show, by great good fortune you find the Guru's boat, and even a stone is carried across. At the centre, the Rahao: keep in mind the One who keeps you, and let every other thought go.
Key Vocabulary
Raakhanhaar — the Keeper, the One who protects (the Rahao).
Chhateeh amrit — the thirty-six flavors; a traditional phrase for the full range of good food.
Gur bohith — the Guru as boat, carrying across what could never cross alone.
Paathar tariaa — even a stone floats; the image of grace.
Themes and Cross-Connections
The hymn is a long act of noticing. Grace here is the ordinary furniture of a life: breath, water, food, family, a working body. Counting the gifts leads naturally to the Giver. It pairs with the Raamkalee hymns nearby that see all beings resting on the One's support and the One's care everywhere.
For Raag Raamkalee
To the seeker who would leave the body and the world behind, this hymn answers: the body and the world are themselves the gift and the doorway. Gratitude, not renunciation, is the path here.
Hukumnama
Subject: Keep the One who keeps you in mind Preview: water and clay, priceless air, thirty-six foods, eyes and hands, and a stone carried across on a boat.
Today: You were shaped from water and clay. You were given a mind and awareness. In the womb, you were kept safe. Then the people you love: parents, brothers and sisters, children, friends. Then priceless air, water and fire. Then food, a body to take it in, and the earth to use. Eyes, ears, hands, feet, your head held high. Each gift points to the Giver. Your mind drags its feet, yet you cannot last a moment without the One. With no good deeds to show, by great good fortune you find the Guru's boat, and even a stone is carried across.
Keep in mind the One who keeps you, and let every other thought go.
For today: Before one meal today, name three gifts you did not make yourself and say thank you for them.
Who shaped you from water and clay, kept you safe, and gave you air, food, family, and every sense — hold that One in mind.
The Arc
You were shaped from water and clay. You were given a mind and awareness. In the womb, you were kept safe. Then the people you love: parents, brothers and sisters, children, friends. Then priceless air, water and fire. Then food, a body to take it in, and the earth to use. Eyes, ears, hands, feet, your head held high. Each gift points to the Giver. Your mind drags its feet, yet you cannot last a moment without the One. With no good deeds to show, by great good fortune you find the Guru's boat, and even a stone is carried across. At the centre, the Rahao: keep in mind the One who keeps you, and let every other thought go.
Key Vocabulary
Themes and Cross-Connections
The hymn is a long act of noticing. Grace here is the ordinary furniture of a life: breath, water, food, family, a working body. Counting the gifts leads naturally to the Giver. It pairs with the Raamkalee hymns nearby that see all beings resting on the One's support and the One's care everywhere.
For Raag Raamkalee
To the seeker who would leave the body and the world behind, this hymn answers: the body and the world are themselves the gift and the doorway. Gratitude, not renunciation, is the path here.
Hukumnama
Subject: Keep the One who keeps you in mind Preview: water and clay, priceless air, thirty-six foods, eyes and hands, and a stone carried across on a boat.
Today: You were shaped from water and clay. You were given a mind and awareness. In the womb, you were kept safe. Then the people you love: parents, brothers and sisters, children, friends. Then priceless air, water and fire. Then food, a body to take it in, and the earth to use. Eyes, ears, hands, feet, your head held high. Each gift points to the Giver. Your mind drags its feet, yet you cannot last a moment without the One. With no good deeds to show, by great good fortune you find the Guru's boat, and even a stone is carried across.
Keep in mind the One who keeps you, and let every other thought go.
For today: Before one meal today, name three gifts you did not make yourself and say thank you for them.