Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Some say: I come from a great and noble family.
Some say: I have many brothers with strong arms to protect me.
Some say: I have wealth spread far and wide.
And I, with empty hands, have the One to hold me up.
Family name, strong brothers, wealth: people lean on many things. The support that holds is the One.
Kuleh vadi-aa-ee — some are proud of their family name. Baah baho bhaa-ee — some have many brothers with strong arms to protect them. Dhaneh pasaaraa — some have spread out a lot of wealth.
In Guru Arjan's time, family rank, or caste, decided a lot about a person's life. Here he quietly sets all of that aside. Family name, strong friends and money are none of them his ground.
His answer: har har aaDhaaraa. AaDhaaraa means support, like the foundation under a house. You do not see it, but it holds everything up. For Guru Arjan, that support is the One alone.
What makes you feel safe, underneath everything else?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI