The stone neither speaks nor gives — but my Lord speaks forever and gives to all; the One you seek is already within.
The Arc
A carved stone stays quiet. It cannot speak, and it has nothing to hand you. Pour all your devotion into an object, and the work goes to waste. The One you serve is alive. The One speaks always and gives gifts to every living thing, from your breath to a sparrow's song. That One is already inside you. Doubt can tangle you up so you walk right past. Sweet oil on a body after death does nothing for it, and dirt takes nothing away. What matters is the living presence. A heart split between many loves can ruin a home. People who love the One live in steady peace. At the centre, the Rahao: your Lord and Master is alive, always speaking, and gives gifts to every living being.
Key Vocabulary
Mehlaa 5 — Guru Arjan, the Fifth Guru (the author of this shabad). Paathar — stone. Dayv — god/deity. Birthaa / ajaanee — in vain, wasted. Thaakur — Lord, Master. Sad bolantaa — speaks forever (living, responsive). Sarab jee-aa — all living beings. Daan — gift. Antar day-o — the Divine within. Andh — unseeing (spiritually unaware). Fokat karam — hollow rituals. Mirtak — a lifeless form. Doojai bhaa-ay — the love of duality (a divided heart). Raam bhagat — the One's lovers. Sukhaalay — at peace, in bliss.
Themes and Cross-Connections
Placed among Kabir's hymns, it shares his critique of hollow ritual and his insistence on the indwelling, all-pervading One — a striking demonstration of the GGS's unity of vision across Guru and Bhagat. Notably, the closing verse carries the words kahat kabeer ('says Kabir') even under the mehlaa 5 header; commentators explain this in more than one way — most often as Guru Arjan composing within, and in resonance with, Kabir's voice and the surrounding block, so seamlessly that the Bhagat's signature phrase appears. The 'One is within' teaching rhymes with 2444 and 2447; the 'living, giving Lord' with the whole GGS vision of grace poured on all.
For Raag Bhairao
Bhairao's clarity and intensity suit a hymn that sharply distinguishes the lifeless from the living and calls the heart to wake toward the One. The raag's brightness carries the positive turn — the living, speaking, giving Lord — so the shabad lands as illumination, not condemnation.
Hukumnama
Subject: The One is alive and gives to everyone Preview: a silent stone, a Lord who always speaks, a snare of doubt, sandalwood oil, homes worn down by divided love.
Today: A carved stone stays quiet. It cannot speak, and it has nothing to hand you. Pour all your devotion into an object, and the work goes to waste. The One you serve is alive. The One speaks always and gives gifts to every living thing, from your breath to a sparrow's song. That One is already inside you. Doubt can tangle you up so you walk right past. Sweet oil on a body after death does nothing for it, and dirt takes nothing away. What matters is the living presence. A heart split between many loves can ruin a home. People who love the One live in steady peace.
Your Lord is alive, always speaking, and giving gifts to every living being.
For today: Count three gifts you were given today, starting with your next breath, and say thank you.
The stone neither speaks nor gives — but my Lord speaks forever and gives to all; the One you seek is already within.
The Arc
A carved stone stays quiet. It cannot speak, and it has nothing to hand you. Pour all your devotion into an object, and the work goes to waste. The One you serve is alive. The One speaks always and gives gifts to every living thing, from your breath to a sparrow's song. That One is already inside you. Doubt can tangle you up so you walk right past. Sweet oil on a body after death does nothing for it, and dirt takes nothing away. What matters is the living presence. A heart split between many loves can ruin a home. People who love the One live in steady peace. At the centre, the Rahao: your Lord and Master is alive, always speaking, and gives gifts to every living being.
Key Vocabulary
Mehlaa 5 — Guru Arjan, the Fifth Guru (the author of this shabad). Paathar — stone. Dayv — god/deity. Birthaa / ajaanee — in vain, wasted. Thaakur — Lord, Master. Sad bolantaa — speaks forever (living, responsive). Sarab jee-aa — all living beings. Daan — gift. Antar day-o — the Divine within. Andh — unseeing (spiritually unaware). Fokat karam — hollow rituals. Mirtak — a lifeless form. Doojai bhaa-ay — the love of duality (a divided heart). Raam bhagat — the One's lovers. Sukhaalay — at peace, in bliss.
Themes and Cross-Connections
Placed among Kabir's hymns, it shares his critique of hollow ritual and his insistence on the indwelling, all-pervading One — a striking demonstration of the GGS's unity of vision across Guru and Bhagat. Notably, the closing verse carries the words kahat kabeer ('says Kabir') even under the mehlaa 5 header; commentators explain this in more than one way — most often as Guru Arjan composing within, and in resonance with, Kabir's voice and the surrounding block, so seamlessly that the Bhagat's signature phrase appears. The 'One is within' teaching rhymes with 2444 and 2447; the 'living, giving Lord' with the whole GGS vision of grace poured on all.
For Raag Bhairao
Bhairao's clarity and intensity suit a hymn that sharply distinguishes the lifeless from the living and calls the heart to wake toward the One. The raag's brightness carries the positive turn — the living, speaking, giving Lord — so the shabad lands as illumination, not condemnation.
Hukumnama
Subject: The One is alive and gives to everyone Preview: a silent stone, a Lord who always speaks, a snare of doubt, sandalwood oil, homes worn down by divided love.
Today: A carved stone stays quiet. It cannot speak, and it has nothing to hand you. Pour all your devotion into an object, and the work goes to waste. The One you serve is alive. The One speaks always and gives gifts to every living thing, from your breath to a sparrow's song. That One is already inside you. Doubt can tangle you up so you walk right past. Sweet oil on a body after death does nothing for it, and dirt takes nothing away. What matters is the living presence. A heart split between many loves can ruin a home. People who love the One live in steady peace.
Your Lord is alive, always speaking, and giving gifts to every living being.
For today: Count three gifts you were given today, starting with your next breath, and say thank you.