naanak pa-i-ampai sunhu pareetam gur sabad man sanjhaava-o. ||5||6||
Nanak prays: please hear me, O my Beloved; instruct my mind through the Word of the Guru's Shabad. ||5||6||
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
In plain words
O my mind, you cannot climb to the high temple without a ladder, or reach the far shore without a boat.
Waiting on that far shore is your Beloved, your endless Friend — and awareness of the Word is the boat that carries you across.
Sit with others who love the One, and you will find real joy, the kind you never look back on with regret.
So I ask, kind One: give me the Name and the company of good hearts. Please hear me, my Beloved, and let the Word gently steady my mind.
Awareness of the Word is the boat, and good company is the crossing.
The deeper layer
Two homely images — a ladder to the temple, a boat to the far shore — for how awareness of the Word carries us across. Saadh Sangat (the company of those who love the One) is the crossing; the stanza ends in a gentle prayer.
A Question to Sit With
Who are the “good hearts” whose company makes you a better version of yourself?
