You made me out of nothing — so how could I ever measure You? Just seat me in the boat of the good, and I will reach the shore.
The Arc
The shabad opens in honest smallness — who am I, and yet You made me a human, and that making is Your glory (rahau). It widens to the One as Giver of life, breath, and care to every being without exception, then closes with a single humble request: a seat in the boat of the holy to cross the sea of the world. The movement is from empty-handedness, to wonder at how much is already given, to asking for good company for the journey.
Key Vocabulary
anaath — literally without a protector; carried here as honest empty-handedness, not self-put-down.
partaap — glory, greatness; the wonder that a human was made at all.
partipaalak — the Cherisher who feeds and sustains every being.
bhav saagar — the sea of the world; the real, crossable journey of a life.
saadh naav — the boat of the holy; the steadying company of good people.
Themes and Cross-Connections
The all-embracing care of verse one — Giver and Support of every heart — sounds the tradition's refusal of any boundary around who belongs. The closing sea-and-boat image rhymes with the recurring picture of a soul carried across not by its own strength but by grace and good company.
For Raag Saarang
Saarang is the raag of longing, and this shabad's longing is disarmingly humble: not a demand to be great, but a wish to be seated among the good and carried home. The emotional key is trust — the small self leaning on something vast and kind.
Translation Notes
anaath (without protector) and bichaaraa (wretched, helpless) are rendered as honest smallness and empty-handedness rather than self-condemnation, keeping the humility while dropping any note of self-disgust.
You made me out of nothing — so how could I ever measure You? Just seat me in the boat of the good, and I will reach the shore.
The Arc
The shabad opens in honest smallness — who am I, and yet You made me a human, and that making is Your glory (rahau). It widens to the One as Giver of life, breath, and care to every being without exception, then closes with a single humble request: a seat in the boat of the holy to cross the sea of the world. The movement is from empty-handedness, to wonder at how much is already given, to asking for good company for the journey.
Key Vocabulary
Themes and Cross-Connections
The all-embracing care of verse one — Giver and Support of every heart — sounds the tradition's refusal of any boundary around who belongs. The closing sea-and-boat image rhymes with the recurring picture of a soul carried across not by its own strength but by grace and good company.
For Raag Saarang
Saarang is the raag of longing, and this shabad's longing is disarmingly humble: not a demand to be great, but a wish to be seated among the good and carried home. The emotional key is trust — the small self leaning on something vast and kind.
Translation Notes
anaath (without protector) and bichaaraa (wretched, helpless) are rendered as honest smallness and empty-handedness rather than self-condemnation, keeping the humility while dropping any note of self-disgust.