Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
O Guru, You who carry others safely across, please carry me across too.
Give me loving devotion to the One who is whole and never fades. I give my whole self to You.
Grace can carry us across what we cannot cross alone.
This is the rahaa-o line. Rahaa-o means "pause." It is the center of the shabad, the line the whole song leans on.
Gur taar taaranhaari-aa — O Guru, You who carry people across, carry me too. Think of a ferry taking people over a wide river. We cannot swim that far alone. Grace is the ferry.
But notice what is asked for. It is not to skip the work. It is bhagat, loving devotion, toward the pooran avinaasee. Pooran means complete and whole. Avinaasee means the One who never fades or ends.
Then comes ha-o tujh ka-o balihaari-aa — I give my whole self to You. Balihaari is the language of a heart so thankful it holds nothing back. It is like a child running to hug someone with both arms wide open.
When has someone helped you across something you could not have crossed alone?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI