Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
I have done wrong, and I have no goodness of my own.
I have no service and no good deeds to show.
By great good fortune I found the boat: the Guru.
Nanak says: I, Your servant, crossed over with the Guru, like a stone carried across on a boat.
With empty hands and no good deeds to show, you can still be carried across in the Guru's boat.
Ham apraaDhee nirgunee-aaray — "I have done wrong, and I have no good qualities." Naa kichh sayvaa naa karmaaray — I have no service and no good deeds to show. This is the honesty of someone with empty hands, not someone putting himself down.
Then comes the good news. Gur bohith — the Guru is a bohith, a big boat. Vadbhaagee mili-aa — by great good fortune, I found it.
Naanak daas sang paathar tari-aa — with the Guru, even a stone floats across. A stone sinks on its own. On a boat, it crosses just like everything else. That is grace: the boat carries what could never cross by itself.
What has helped you across something you could not get through alone?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI