Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
On my own I hold no power at all — everything rises and falls in Your hands, You who build up and let go.
Nanak says: this is the one thing I ask, my single prayer — let me always keep the Naam close, for that is where life is found.
Everything rises and falls in the One's hands. So the one thing worth asking for is to keep the Name close.
Thaapi-o thaapanhaarai names the One who builds up and takes down. All the ups and downs of life belong to the One. That is why grabbing at power misses the point. Think of sandcastles at the beach. The tide decides what stays. Guarding your castle is less wise than loving the sea.
So the verse makes one small request: naam na bisrai, let me not forget the Name. When the Name stays near, jeevan paa-ee-ai — I find life, the kind of life that is fully alive.
If you could keep just one thing close in your heart every day, what would you want it to be?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI