Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
O God — You are the Hope of all. All beings are Yours; You are the Wealth of all.
None return from Your Door empty-handed. At Your Door, the Gurmukhs are praised and acclaimed.
In the terrifying world-ocean of poison, people are drowning — please lift them up and save them. This is Your servant's humble prayer.
The closing prayer of Guru Ram Das's first Siree Raag shabad is a collective petition: not for himself alone but for everyone drowning in the world-ocean of poison. Janam maran ke dukh nivas — the world-ocean of birth and death.
"None return from Your Door empty-handed" — khaalee koee nahi jaai — this is one of the most comforting statements in the Guru Granth Sahib. The divine never turns anyone away empty. Whatever you bring — whatever condition you are in when you arrive — you do not leave without something.
Guru Ram Das in this shabad moves from his own ache (Pauri 0) through surrender and the Guru's role (Pauris 1–3) to a prayer on behalf of all beings. His personal longing opens into universal compassion.
If you knew with certainty that you would not be turned away — that whatever you brought would be received — what would you bring that you've been hesitating to bring?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI