Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
I can't see the way on my own — Your Name is my only anchor, Maker.
I am poor and small; Your Name is the one thing holding me up.
This is the "pause" line, the center of the shabad. It is by Naam Dayv, a saint from Maharashtra who lived long before Guru Nanak. His verses are part of the Guru Granth Sahib.
He opens by leaning on the One completely. Mai anDhulay kee tayk tayraa naam — I am blind; Your Name is my support. "Blind" here isn't about eyes. It is an honest way of saying we can't find the way by our own sight. Mai gareeb mai maskeen — I am poor, I am small. We have nothing of our own to lean on.
Into that empty space comes the one support: the Name. Think of walking home in the dark, holding a parent's hand. You can't see the path, and you don't need to.
This isn't despair. It is where trust begins. You admit you can't see, so you can be led.
Where might admitting 'I can't see this on my own' actually open you to being guided?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI