Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Listen, friends: I would gladly give myself for even the dust of Your path.
This mind of mine is Yours.
I would wash Your feet and tend them with care, and hand my whole mind over to You.
Listen, friends: I've come into Your shelter — teach me, so I can be one with the One.
This is the Rahao, the "pause" line and the center of the shabad: ih man tayraa bhaa-ee, this mind is Yours.
Guru Arjan offers the most personal thing he has, his own mind. He would gladly give himself for the dust of the path: Dhooree ka-o bal jaa-ee. Then comes paav malovaa, washing and caring for feet. In Gurbani, the Guru's words, this is a picture of loving service and humility. It is chosen freely and with joy, like helping set up for a party you can't wait for.
Then the real request: dayh updaysaa, "teach me." He isn't asking for a thing. He is asking for guidance, so he can be one with the One. And he keeps calling us meetaa, "friend," which keeps it all tender.
What would it feel like to give your worries fully to someone you completely trust?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI