Raag Bilaaval
Commentary

Raag Bilaaval, Dupda, Mehl 5 (Guru Arjan)

The One who lifts everyone is worth remembering — come with empty hands and be carried across.

The Arc

The Rahau marvels that the One saves all, yet how easily that slips when we are wrapped up in things. The middle verse names the habits that pull us while calm and contentment are set aside. The close is a plain prayer: reach in and lift me out; I come empty-handed to Your shelter, and in good company even the emptiest-handed are carried across.

Key Vocabulary

  • sagal uDhaaran: savior of all
  • moh magan: absorbed in attachment
  • bikhi-aa / amrit: poison and nectar
  • haar paray: come tired to the refuge
  • rank taaran: the empty-handed carried across

Themes and Cross-Connections

Universal grace, the pulls seen as habits to heal, and refuge in company are the load-bearing themes.

For Raag Bilaaval

The raag's reassurance holds even the honest confession of being pulled off course.

Translation Notes

SSK reads patit sang and rank as the company of sinners and a poor beggar. These are rendered as getting wrapped up and coming empty-handed: no person condemned, and self-abasement turned to empty-handedness.

Last updated: 2026-07-08

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