ਨਿਰਗੁਨ ਨੀਚ ਅਨਾਥ ਅਪਰਾਧੀ ਓਟ ਸੰਤਨ ਕੀ ਆਹੀ ॥
nirgun neech anaath apraaDhee ot santan kee aahee.
I am worthless, lowly, without friends or support, and full of sins; I long for the Shelter of the Saints.
ਬੂਡਤ ਮੋਹ ਗ੍ਰਿਹ ਅੰਧ ਕੂਪ ਮਹਿ ਨਾਨਕ ਲੇਹੁ ਨਿਬਾਹੀ ॥੪॥੭॥
boodat moh garih anDh koop meh naanak layho nibaahee. ||4||7||
I am drowning in the deep, dark pit of household attachments - please save me, Lord! ||4||7||
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
I come with empty hands, no rank and no backing, longing for the shelter of the good.
When the pull of the world drags me under, please carry me through.
You don't need rank or backing to be helped; empty hands and an honest heart are enough.
The close is empty-handedness, not self-hatred. Nirgun neech anaath apraaDhee — the heavy self-abasement of the literal — is bent to 'empty hands, no rank, no backing,' honest smallness that opens to grace. The drowning image (booDat... andh koop, the dark pit of attachment) is softened to being 'dragged under' by the world's pull, with the plea layho nibaahee — carry me through — as trust, not terror.
A Question to Sit With
When you feel pulled under by too much, who or what helps you come up for air?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI
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