I am unworthy, but He has saved me, for the sake of the Saints.
The True Guru has covered by faults; I am such a sinner.
God has covered for me; He is the Giver of the soul, life and peace.
My Lord and Master is Eternal and Unchanging, Ever-present; He is the Perfect Creator, the Architect of Destiny.
Your Praise cannot be described; who can say where You are?
Slave Nanak is a sacrifice to the one who blesses him with the Lord's Name, even for an instant. ||4||1||11||
# Raag Tukhaari, Shabad 11 — You Covered Over All My Faults
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
I came with empty hands, and still I was kept safe, carried by the kindness of good souls.
The Guru gently drew a cover over my mistakes, holding me instead of shaming me.
The One covers for us, giving us our very soul, our life, and our peace.
This Master never fades, never changes, is always here, the perfect Maker who shapes everything.
No words can hold Your greatness. Who could ever say how long You have been?
I would give anything to be near the one who shares the Name with me, even for a single moment.
This closes the whole of Raag Tukhaari. Nirgun ("unworthy") is rendered as empty-handedness, coming with nothing to offer, not self-condemnation. The tender heart of the stanza is dhaak lia parhda: the Guru "drew a cover" over the poet's faults, held rather than exposed them. This is grace as gentleness, covering a mistake with love instead of shame. The One is abinaasee, abigat (eternal, unchanging, ever-present), the bidhaata, the Maker who shapes destiny. The final wish is small and warm: to be near anyone who shares the Name, even for an instant. The raag ends not on distance but on being kept, covered, and given the Name.
When someone chose to be gentle about your mistake instead of shaming you, what did that feel like?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI