ਕਰਿ ਸੇਵਾ ਸੇਵਕ ਪ੍ਰਭ ਅਪੁਨੇ ਜਿਨਿ ਮਨ ਕੀ ਇਛ ਪੁਜਾਈ ॥
kar sayvaa sayvak parabh apunay jin man kee ichh pujaa-ee.
So, as a servant, serve your God, who fulfills your mind's desires.
ਨਾਨਕ ਦਾਸ ਤਾ ਕੈ ਬਲਿਹਾਰੈ ਜਿਨਿ ਪੂਰਨ ਪੈਜ ਰਖਾਈ ॥੪॥੧੪॥੨੫॥
naanak daas taa kai balihaarai jin pooran paij rakhaa-ee. ||4||14||25||
Slave Nanak is a sacrifice to the Perfect Lord, who has protected and preserved his honor. ||4||14||25||
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
So serve the One who fills the heart's true wishes — offer yourself gladly.
I am so grateful to the One who fully guarded my honor and kept me whole.
Serving from love is what gratitude looks like when it moves.
The closing folds service and gratitude together: kar sayvaa sayvak — serve, as one who loves to serve, the One who man kee ichh pujaa-ee, meets the heart's real longing. The recurring pooran paij rakhaa-ee — fully preserved my honor — names again the One as the quiet protector of a person's dignity. Service here is not a chore paid in advance; it is the natural overflow of being cared for.
A Question to Sit With
When someone helps you, what makes you want to give something back?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI
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