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Sikhism·Raag Raamkalee·Shabad 114
Verse 9 of 66

Always Near, Inside and Out

ਪਉੜੀ ॥
pa-orhee.
Pauree:
ਸੋ ਐਸਾ ਦਾਤਾਰੁ ਮਨਹੁ ਨ ਵੀਸਰੈ ॥
so aisaa daataar manhu na veesrai.
Such is that Great Giver; may I never forget Him from my mind.
ਘੜੀ ਨ ਮੁਹਤੁ ਚਸਾ ਤਿਸੁ ਬਿਨੁ ਨਾ ਸਰੈ ॥
gharhee na muhat chasaa tis bin naa sarai.
I cannot survive without Him, for an instant, for a moment, for a second.
ਅੰਤਰਿ ਬਾਹਰਿ ਸੰਗਿ ਕਿਆ ਕੋ ਲੁਕਿ ਕਰੈ ॥
antar baahar sang ki-aa ko luk karai.
Inwardly and outwardly, He is with us; how can we hide anything from Him?
ਜਿਸੁ ਪਤਿ ਰਖੈ ਆਪਿ ਸੋ ਭਵਜਲੁ ਤਰੈ ॥
jis pat rakhai aap so bhavjal tarai.
One whose honor He Himself has preserved, crosses over the terrifying world-ocean.
ਭਗਤੁ ਗਿਆਨੀ ਤਪਾ ਜਿਸੁ ਕਿਰਪਾ ਕਰੈ ॥
bhagat gi-aanee tapaa jis kirpaa karai.
He alone is a devotee, a spiritual teacher, and a disciplined pratictioner of meditation, whom the Lord has so blessed.
ਸੋ ਪੂਰਾ ਪਰਧਾਨੁ ਜਿਸ ਨੋ ਬਲੁ ਧਰੈ ॥
so pooraa parDhaan jis no bal Dharai.
He alone is perfect and renowned as supreme, whom the Lord has blessed with His power.
ਜਿਸਹਿ ਜਰਾਏ ਆਪਿ ਸੋਈ ਅਜਰੁ ਜਰੈ ॥
jisahi jaraa-ay aap so-ee ajar jarai.
He alone endures the unendurable, whom the Lord inspires to endure it.
ਤਿਸ ਹੀ ਮਿਲਿਆ ਸਚੁ ਮੰਤ੍ਰੁ ਗੁਰ ਮਨਿ ਧਰੈ ॥੩॥
tis hee mili-aa sach mantar gur man Dharai. ||3||
And he alone meets the True Lord, within whose mind the Guru's Mantra is implanted. ||3||

Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa

In plain words

Such is that great Giver — may I always keep the One in my mind.

I cannot get by without the One for an instant, a moment, a second.

Inside and outside, the One is with us — how could anyone hide anything?

Whoever the One keeps safe crosses over the frightening ocean of the world.

The one the One blesses becomes a devotee, a wise teacher, a person of steady practice.

The one the One fills with strength becomes complete and honored.

The one the One helps to bear it can bear what seems unbearable.

And the one who keeps the Guru's word of Truth in mind meets the True One.

Even the strength to get through hard things is a gift.
The deeper layer

Grace-grammar runs all the way through: the devotee, the teacher, the one who endures the unendurable — each is the one whom the Lord has blessed. Every gift is given twice, the thing and the capacity for it. The world-ocean (bhavjal) is the hard crossing of life, and even the strength to bear hardship is received.

A Question to Sit With

When something was hard, where did your strength to keep going come from?

Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI

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