qMonkqMonkSikhism
Sikhism·Raag Aasaa·Shabad 308
Verse 5 of 8

The Mind Swings Until Steadied to One Point

ਰਾਮੋ ਰਾਮ ਨਾਮੁ ਗੁਰੂ ਰਾਮੁ ਗੁਰਮੁਖੇ ਜਾਣੈ ਰਾਮ ॥
raamo raam naam guroo raam gurmukhay jaanai raam.
The Name of the Lord, Raam, Raam, and the Lord Guru, are known by the Gurmukh.
ਇਹੁ ਮਨੂਆ ਖਿਨੁ ਊਭ ਪਇਆਲੀ ਭਰਮਦਾ ਇਕਤੁ ਘਰਿ ਆਣੈ ਰਾਮ ॥
ih manoo-aa khin oobh paa-i-aalee bharmadaa ikat ghar aanai raam.
One moment, this mind is in the heavens, and the next, it is in the nether regions; the Guru brings the wandering mind back to one-pointedness.
ਮਨੁ ਇਕਤੁ ਘਰਿ ਆਣੈ ਸਭ ਗਤਿ ਮਿਤਿ ਜਾਣੈ ਹਰਿ ਰਾਮੋ ਨਾਮੁ ਰਸਾਏ ॥
man ikat ghar aanai sabh gat mit jaanai har raamo naam rasaa-ay.
When the mind returns to one-pointedness, one totally understands the value of salvation, and enjoys the subtle essence of the Lord's Name.
ਜਨ ਕੀ ਪੈਜ ਰਖੈ ਰਾਮ ਨਾਮਾ ਪ੍ਰਹਿਲਾਦ ਉਧਾਰਿ ਤਰਾਏ ॥
jan kee paij rakhai raam naamaa par-hilaad uDhaar taraa-ay.
The Lord's Name preserves the honor of His servant, as He preserved and emancipated Prahlaad.
ਰਾਮੋ ਰਾਮੁ ਰਮੋ ਰਮੁ ਊਚਾ ਗੁਣ ਕਹਤਿਆ ਅੰਤੁ ਨ ਪਾਇਆ ॥
raamo raam ramo ram oochaa gun kehti-aa ant na paa-i-aa.
So repeat continually the Name of the Lord, Raam, Raam; chanting His Glorious Virtues, His limit cannot be found.
ਨਾਨਕ ਰਾਮ ਨਾਮੁ ਸੁਣਿ ਭੀਨੇ ਰਾਮੈ ਨਾਮਿ ਸਮਾਇਆ ॥੫॥
naanak raam naam sun bheenay raamai naam samaa-i-aa. ||5||
Nanak is drenched in happiness, hearing the Name of the Lord; he is merged in the Name of the Lord. ||5||

Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa

In plain words

One minute the mind is soaring high, the next it's crashing low — until wise guidance steadies it to a single point.

A settled mind finally tastes the sweetness — and remember, the One protects those who trust it, the way it stood by Prahlaad long ago.

The mind swings high and low until it's steadied to one point — and a trusting heart is a protected one.
The deeper layer

The verse names the mind's wild swings honestly: one moment in the heavens, the next in the nether regions — soaring and crashing, the way any of us bounce between excitement and despair. The Guru's gift is ik-man — bringing the scattered mind to one-pointedness, steady at last, and only then does it taste the essence. The verse anchors its promise in a story children can hold: as He preserved Prahlaad — the young devotee of legend who was protected through terrible danger because he trusted the One. The steadied, trusting heart is a protected heart.

A Question to Sit With

What helps steady you when your feelings are swinging way up and way down?

Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI

About this shabad →
← Verse 4 of 8 Showy Rituals Can't Do What Honest Remembering Does
Verse 6 of 8 →Fill the Heart and Worry Loses Its Grip
Use ← → to navigate