Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Some leave their homes and go live in the deep woods.
Some keep silent and call themselves hermits.
Some say they are devoted to the One alone.
And I, with empty hands, take shelter in the One.
Some search in the forest, some in silence. The answer here is simple: take shelter in the One.
Garihu taj van khand paa-i-aa — some leave their homes and go live in the forest. Mon means silence: some stop speaking for long stretches. A-uDhoot is a hermit, someone who gives up ordinary life. Others say they belong to the One alone.
These are serious paths, and Guru Arjan names them honestly.
Then comes his answer: har har ot leetee — I take shelter in the One. Ot means shelter, like ducking under a porch roof when rain starts. It is not something he achieved. It is a place he runs to and is let in.
Where do you go for shelter when things feel hard?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI