Thursday, June 18, 2020

O Generous One

بِسْمِ اللّهِ الرَّحْمـَنِ الرَّحِيمِ
کَریما، بِبَخْشای بَر حالِ ما کِه هَسْتیم اَسیرِ کَمَنْدِ هَوا نَداریم غَیْر اَز تو فَریادْرَس تُویی عاصِیان را خَطا بَخْش و بَس نِگَه‌دار ما را زِ راهِ خَطا خَطا دَرْگُذار و صَوابَم نَما
Alternative wording for the second line
(یا: کِه هَسْتیم گِرِفْتارِ کَمَنْدِ هَوا)

Meaning

O Generous One! Pardon our condition

For we are captives in the snare of our desires!

We have none other than You whom we can call upon for help!

You alone are the Forgiver of sinners.

Guard over us/Protect us from the path of sin

Pardon our mistakes, and guide us to righteousness.

Language

Persian/Farsi

Transliteration

Kareema bi bakhshai bar haale-maa

Ki hastam aseeray kamanday hawaa

Nadareem Ghair Az Tu Faryaad Ras

Tui Aasiyan Ra Khata Baksh wa bas

Nigahdar Ma Ra ZeRaahe Khata

Khata Dar Guzaar wa Sawabam Numa

Video/Audio

Open the video on YouTube

Brief Explanation

The prayer to the Most Generous One asks for forgiveness, realising that we human beings are easily waylaid by our desires unless protected by the Lord—who else but Him? It goes further to seek protection from sins and asks for guidance.

Background

These lines are the beginning of Saadi Shirazi’s Pandnamah, or Scroll of Wisdom, and it is often known as “Kareema” due to the line Kareemaa bi bakhshai bar haale maa. In South Asia, this is one of the first encounters with Persian poetry for any scholar interested in exploring the rich mother-lode of oriental wisdom. It is also considered a blessing to study the poem because it is itself a prayer.

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