ਨਾਹਿਨ ਗੁਨੁ ਨਾਹਿਨ ਕਛੁ ਬਿਦਿਆ ਧਰਮੁ ਕਉਨੁ ਗਜਿ ਕੀਨਾ ॥
naahin gun naahin kachh bidi-aa Dharam ka-un gaj keenaa.
The elephant had no virtue and no knowledge; what religious rituals has he performed?
ਨਾਨਕ ਬਿਰਦੁ ਰਾਮ ਕਾ ਦੇਖਹੁ ਅਭੈ ਦਾਨੁ ਤਿਹ ਦੀਨਾ ॥੩॥੧॥
naanak birad raam kaa daykhhu abhai daan tih deenaa. ||3||1||
O Nanak, behold the way of the Lord, who bestowed the gift of fearlessness. ||3||1||
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
The elephant had no goodness to show and no learning; what religious rituals had he ever done?
Nanak says: look at the way of the One, who gave him the gift of fearlessness.
*Grace is a gift, not a wage.*
No goodness, no learning, no rituals, and still the gift came: abhai daan, the gift of fearlessness. Grace is not a wage. It is received, never earned.
The gaj (elephant) is Gajendra of Puranic legend, seized by a crocodile in a lake and freed when he called out to the One. Birad is the One's own nature, the One's way of being.
A Question to Sit With
When you needed help, did you ever feel you had to deserve it first? What changes when you just ask?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI
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