A Hand That Takes His Saves the Blind, Not Directions
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Can a blind man find the path just by being told about it? Take his hand - then he arrives.
Can a deaf man solve a spoken riddle? Say night and he answers day.
Can someone with no voice sing? He may try with his whole heart, but the voice will not come. Can someone whose legs do not work climb a mountain alone?
That is us, God - all of us. So we pray: Maker, Merciful One, take our hand. Nanak says: by Your grace, carry us up.
Some gaps only a helping hand can close, and every one of us needs that hand.
After two sharp verses, this one turns tender. It uses four old pictures of needing help. Someone who cannot see, trying to find a path. Someone who cannot hear, trying to solve a riddle. Someone who cannot speak, trying to sing. Someone who cannot walk, trying to climb a mountain.
These are old images the poem inherited. They are not a judgment on people with disabilities. The point is the opposite. On the one journey that matters most, everyone needs a hand held out. That includes the Guru, who is the one praying.
Just telling a blind man the way does not help him. What helps is kar geh layho — take hold of his hand. Think of a little kid crossing a busy street. Directions are not enough. They need a grown-up's hand.
This is Sukhmani's clearest reason why grace is not a fancy extra. Some gaps cannot be closed by more information or more effort from our side.
The verse ends as a simple prayer. Naanak tumree kirpaa tarai — by Your grace, save me. Not them. Me.
When has someone helped you not by explaining, but by simply taking your hand and going with you?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI