The true dance silences the self and stills the five passions so the One can move in; its dancer instructs his own mind first, washes the Saints' feet, and surrenders — and such a dance does away with hell.
The Arc
Pauri 0: with effort the mind is purified, the self silenced, the five passions checked, the One dwelling within. The Pause (Pauri 1): the servant dances and sings, real instruments opening onto the unstruck music. Pauri 2: instruct your own mind first, then lead others. Pauri 3: join the Sangat, wash their feet, surrender mind and body to the Guru. Pauri 4: the pains of birth and death taken away; such a dance eliminates hell; the Gurmukh stays awake.
Key Vocabulary
the true dance: the inner movement that silences the self and stills the five passions (cf. B00C665, B00C709)
Anhad Shabad: the unstruck music beneath even real devotional instruments
"instruct your own mind first": self-knowledge before guiding others (cf. B00C676)
surrender: laying mind and body before the Guru to gain the true wealth
Themes and Cross-Connections
This is the third great inner-dance shabad of Aasaa, with Guru Nanak's B00C665 and Guru Amar Das's B00C709 — here the dance "silences the self" and "stills the five passions," and even real instruments open onto the Anhad Shabad. "Instruct your own mind first" is the self-knowledge of B00C676 (against the hypocrite of B00C763). The dust of the Saints and surrender are Sat Sangat; "stays awake" answers B00C764's rare wakefulness.
For Raag Aasaa
Aasaa's hope is a dance that liberates: not performance, but the self silenced and surrendered so the One can move in. The mood is joyful and disciplined — music that opens onto the music no instrument makes.
The true dance silences the self and stills the five passions so the One can move in; its dancer instructs his own mind first, washes the Saints' feet, and surrenders — and such a dance does away with hell.
The Arc
Pauri 0: with effort the mind is purified, the self silenced, the five passions checked, the One dwelling within. The Pause (Pauri 1): the servant dances and sings, real instruments opening onto the unstruck music. Pauri 2: instruct your own mind first, then lead others. Pauri 3: join the Sangat, wash their feet, surrender mind and body to the Guru. Pauri 4: the pains of birth and death taken away; such a dance eliminates hell; the Gurmukh stays awake.
Key Vocabulary
Themes and Cross-Connections
This is the third great inner-dance shabad of Aasaa, with Guru Nanak's B00C665 and Guru Amar Das's B00C709 — here the dance "silences the self" and "stills the five passions," and even real instruments open onto the Anhad Shabad. "Instruct your own mind first" is the self-knowledge of B00C676 (against the hypocrite of B00C763). The dust of the Saints and surrender are Sat Sangat; "stays awake" answers B00C764's rare wakefulness.
For Raag Aasaa
Aasaa's hope is a dance that liberates: not performance, but the self silenced and surrendered so the One can move in. The mood is joyful and disciplined — music that opens onto the music no instrument makes.
Last updated: 2026-06-28