Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
The good things you do matter. Kindness and honest effort prepare the soil of your heart, and the Name takes root in ground like that.
And then grace does the rest. Nanak says: when the One's kind glance falls, and the Guru's teaching guides you, everything quietly comes together.
You prepare the ground by how you live, and grace sends the rain.
This short verse holds effort and grace together. Bin karmai naa-o na paa-ee-ai means without good actions, the Name is not found. Karam has two meanings here. It means the good things you do. It also means mercy, the kindness of the One. The word plays on both at once.
Nadar karay means the One looks with kindness. Then, through gurmat, the Guru's teaching, the heart is joined to the One. Think of a garden. You dig the soil and pull the weeds. But the rain that makes things grow is a gift. Grace is not earned. You can just stop blocking it.
Can you think of a time you worked hard *and* got lucky? How did those two things work together?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI