The mouse of time gnaws the rope of life while the soul, fallen in the well, licks Maya's sweets; we build on shifting shade and washing sand — but the Name in the Sangat is the one ground that holds.
The Arc
Pauri 0: the mouse of time gnaws the rope; the soul licks Maya's sweets in the well. The Pause (Pauri 1): thinking and planning, the night of life slips away, the Lord unremembered. Pauri 2: building under the tree's passing shade with death's noose ready. Pauri 3: building on the sandy shore the waves are washing away. Pauri 4: in the Sangat, chant the Name — Nanak lives by praise.
Key Vocabulary
the mouse of time: time gnawing the rope of life while we are distracted
licking Maya's sweets: the distraction that hides our danger
the tree's shade / the sandy shore: building life on the impermanent (Sach)
the Name in the Sangat: the one ground that holds
Themes and Cross-Connections
The mouse-of-time parable is one of Gurbani's most vivid memento mori (cf. B00C677, breaths counted; B00C744, the reaper). Building on shifting shade and washing sand is Sach — mistaking the unreal for the real. The busy "thinking and planning" that empties a life recalls the futility of scheming (B00C730). The one solid ground is the Naam in Sat Sangat.
For Raag Aasaa
Aasaa's hope is a warning that turns to refuge: the rope frays, the sand washes, but the Name holds. The mood is urgent and then steadying — wake to your danger, and stand where the ground is firm.
The mouse of time gnaws the rope of life while the soul, fallen in the well, licks Maya's sweets; we build on shifting shade and washing sand — but the Name in the Sangat is the one ground that holds.
The Arc
Pauri 0: the mouse of time gnaws the rope; the soul licks Maya's sweets in the well. The Pause (Pauri 1): thinking and planning, the night of life slips away, the Lord unremembered. Pauri 2: building under the tree's passing shade with death's noose ready. Pauri 3: building on the sandy shore the waves are washing away. Pauri 4: in the Sangat, chant the Name — Nanak lives by praise.
Key Vocabulary
Themes and Cross-Connections
The mouse-of-time parable is one of Gurbani's most vivid memento mori (cf. B00C677, breaths counted; B00C744, the reaper). Building on shifting shade and washing sand is Sach — mistaking the unreal for the real. The busy "thinking and planning" that empties a life recalls the futility of scheming (B00C730). The one solid ground is the Naam in Sat Sangat.
For Raag Aasaa
Aasaa's hope is a warning that turns to refuge: the rope frays, the sand washes, but the Name holds. The mood is urgent and then steadying — wake to your danger, and stand where the ground is firm.
Last updated: 2026-06-28