Raag Bilaaval
Commentary

Raag Bilaaval, Chaupada, Mehl 5 (Guru Arjan)

The love you offer back was planted in you first.

The Arc

A shorter, song-like shabad of four brief verses after the Rahau. The Rahau pleads that the One never leave the sight and stay close beside the soul, its aches already fleeing. The verses move inward: the Beloved as the support of every breath; the qualities too many to catalogue, so simply kept in mind; the ocean of mercy gentle with the small and cherishing every creature. The close turns the whole song humble — even the love being offered was itself given first.

Key Vocabulary

  • darsan daykhat dokh nasay: pains flee at the sight of the One
  • praan aDhaar: the support of the breath
  • antarjaamee: the inner-knower
  • ki-aa gun tayray saar samHaaree: which of Your qualities could I even hold?
  • kirpaa niDh: the treasure-house of mercy
  • aath pahar: all eight watches — the whole day
  • preet laa-ee prabh aapay: the love the One planted

Themes and Cross-Connections

Devotion as received, not achieved: the Beloved supports the breath, mercy reaches every creature, and even the love offered back is a gift first given.

For Raag Bilaaval

A tender, singable Bilaaval — the raag's warmth in miniature verses.

Last updated: 2026-07-08

Read this shabad →
← Back to Raag Bilaaval