No one is anyone's lasting companion, and Maya's pleasures are only passing shadows; royal power and wealth are useless, but the praise of the One is everlasting wealth and the soul's true hope and support.
The Arc
Pauri 0: no one is your lasting companion — only the Name crosses the ocean. The Pause (Pauri 1): the Guru is the poor mortal's true support, His sight encouraging. Pauri 2: power and wealth are useless; the wealth of praise is everlasting. Pauri 3: Maya's pleasures are shadows; the Gurmukhs sing the Name. Pauri 4: the unfathomable One is Nanak's hope and support.
Key Vocabulary
no lasting companion: human company temporary; the Name the only constant
the wealth of praise: everlasting, against useless worldly riches (cf. B00C743)
pleasures as shadows: Maya's delights fleeting and insubstantial (Sach)
hope and support: the One as the meaning of Aasaa
Themes and Cross-Connections
"No one is anyone's companion" warns against leaning on the temporary (cf. B00C812). The contrast of useless worldly wealth and the everlasting wealth of praise is Naam (B00C743). "Pleasures are shadows" is Sach — the unreal vs the real. The One as hope and support names the very meaning of Aasaa.
For Raag Aasaa
Aasaa's hope is relocated from people and possessions to the One: the only lasting companion, the only everlasting wealth. The mood is sober and then steadying — hope set where it cannot be lost.
No one is anyone's lasting companion, and Maya's pleasures are only passing shadows; royal power and wealth are useless, but the praise of the One is everlasting wealth and the soul's true hope and support.
The Arc
Pauri 0: no one is your lasting companion — only the Name crosses the ocean. The Pause (Pauri 1): the Guru is the poor mortal's true support, His sight encouraging. Pauri 2: power and wealth are useless; the wealth of praise is everlasting. Pauri 3: Maya's pleasures are shadows; the Gurmukhs sing the Name. Pauri 4: the unfathomable One is Nanak's hope and support.
Key Vocabulary
Themes and Cross-Connections
"No one is anyone's companion" warns against leaning on the temporary (cf. B00C812). The contrast of useless worldly wealth and the everlasting wealth of praise is Naam (B00C743). "Pleasures are shadows" is Sach — the unreal vs the real. The One as hope and support names the very meaning of Aasaa.
For Raag Aasaa
Aasaa's hope is relocated from people and possessions to the One: the only lasting companion, the only everlasting wealth. The mood is sober and then steadying — hope set where it cannot be lost.
Last updated: 2026-06-28