The slanderer wastes his life, washing off his targets' burdens while reaping his own; the more the Saints are slandered the more they dwell in peace, for they are anchored to the One while the slanderer drowns.
The Arc
Pauri 0: the slanderer washes off others' karma but reaps his own — no peace, no place. The Pause (Pauri 1): he wastes his life and succeeds at nothing. Pauri 2: a note of pity — cornered, with no one to appeal to. Pauri 3: the more the Saints are slandered, the more they dwell in peace. Pauri 4: the Saints are saved, the slanderers drown.
Key Vocabulary
nindak: the slanderer, who reaps his own deeds (cf. B00C735)
washing off others' burdens: slander harming its speaker most, its target least
"the more slandered, the more at peace": the rooted soul unshaken (Sahaj)
two anchors: the Saints to the One, the slanderer to contempt
Themes and Cross-Connections
The slanderer theme recurs from B00C735 and B00C707, here with the tradition's striking claim that slander purifies the slandered and burdens the slanderer. "The more slandered, the more at peace" is Sahaj equanimity (B00C703, B00C756 — unmoved by others' words). Guru Arjan's compassion for the cornered wrongdoer keeps it from gloating.
For Raag Aasaa
Aasaa's hope is the unshakeable peace of the rooted soul: contempt cannot reach it. The mood is sober but compassionate — a warning to the slanderer and a comfort to the slandered.
The slanderer wastes his life, washing off his targets' burdens while reaping his own; the more the Saints are slandered the more they dwell in peace, for they are anchored to the One while the slanderer drowns.
The Arc
Pauri 0: the slanderer washes off others' karma but reaps his own — no peace, no place. The Pause (Pauri 1): he wastes his life and succeeds at nothing. Pauri 2: a note of pity — cornered, with no one to appeal to. Pauri 3: the more the Saints are slandered, the more they dwell in peace. Pauri 4: the Saints are saved, the slanderers drown.
Key Vocabulary
Themes and Cross-Connections
The slanderer theme recurs from B00C735 and B00C707, here with the tradition's striking claim that slander purifies the slandered and burdens the slanderer. "The more slandered, the more at peace" is Sahaj equanimity (B00C703, B00C756 — unmoved by others' words). Guru Arjan's compassion for the cornered wrongdoer keeps it from gloating.
For Raag Aasaa
Aasaa's hope is the unshakeable peace of the rooted soul: contempt cannot reach it. The mood is sober but compassionate — a warning to the slanderer and a comfort to the slandered.
Last updated: 2026-06-28