Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
People of the One, the tax collector bothers me every single day!
I raised my arms and called to my Guru. And the Guru saved me.
When the demands got to be too much, I lifted my arms and called to the Guru, and help came.
This is the rahaa-o, the "pause" line, the center of the song. Har kay logaa — O people of the One, listen. Mo ka-o neet dasai patvaaree — the patvaaree, the village tax clerk, bothers me every single day. Here he stands for the pull of wanting that never lets up.
Oopar bhujaa kar mai gur peh pukaari-aa — raising my arms, I called out to the Guru. It's like a kid in the deep end of the pool who waves both arms, and the lifeguard is there in a moment. Tin ha-o lee-aa ubaaree — and the Guru saved me.
Reaching out for wisdom brings real help. We are never left alone in the struggle.
If someone is being unkind to you or hurting you, that is never something you have to accept. Telling a grown-up you trust is always the right thing to do.
Who or what do you reach toward when your feelings feel like too much to handle?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI