Sikhism·Siree Raag·Shabad 51
Verse 1 of 4

By Grace, the Guru Is Found

ਸਿਰੀਰਾਗੁ ਮਹਲਾ ੩ ॥
sireeraag mehlaa 3.
Siree Raag, Third Mehl:
ਕਿਰਪਾ ਕਰੇ ਗੁਰੁ ਪਾਈਐ ਹਰਿ ਨਾਮੋ ਦੇਇ ਦ੍ਰਿੜਾਇ ॥
kirpaa karay gur paa-ee-ai har naamo day-ay drirh-aa-ay.
By His Grace, the Guru is found, and the Name of the Lord is implanted within.
ਬਿਨੁ ਗੁਰ ਕਿਨੈ ਨ ਪਾਇਓ ਬਿਰਥਾ ਜਨਮੁ ਗਵਾਇ ॥
bin gur kinai na paa-i-o birthaa janam gavaa-ay.
Without the Guru, no one has obtained it; they waste away their lives in vain.
ਮਨਮੁਖ ਕਰਮ ਕਮਾਵਣੇ ਦਰਗਹ ਮਿਲੈ ਸਜਾਇ ॥੧॥
manmukh karam kamaavnay dargeh milai sajaa-ay. ||1||
The self-willed manmukhs create karma, and in the Court of the Lord, they receive their punishment. ||1||

Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa

In plain words

By His Grace, the Guru is found. By the Guru's Grace, the Truth is found.

Give up the love of duality. Praise the True Lord.

When grace brings the teacher, and the teacher brings the teaching, both are received as gifts — not achievements.

Grace brings the Guru; the Guru brings Truth — both are received, not earned.
The deeper layer

The double grace: prabhoo kirpaa brings the Guru; Gur kirpaa brings Truth. The chain of grace: the divine gives the Guru; the Guru gives the Truth. Both movements are initiated by grace, not by the seeker's effort.

This makes grace not an afterthought but the first and necessary condition of the entire path. The question becomes not "how hard am I trying?" but "am I receptive?".

A Question to Sit With

What does 'being receptive' actually mean to you? Is it passivity, or is it a specific kind of active openness? What does it feel like from the inside?

Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI

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