Rooted in the source of bliss, I live in joy and fear no judgment; the restless circle round like the ox at the mill, but those who serve are set free — for the One is master and servant both.
The Arc
Some joy comes from things going your way. It runs out by evening. Other joy has deep roots. It comes from keeping the One in mind, and it lasts day and night. With that joy, even the biggest fears lose their grip. So say the Naam, and sing it. Finding the Guru is great good fortune. Without a centre, life can feel like the ox at an old oil mill, walking in circles all day and never arriving. Serving others breaks that loop. The knots loosen. And in the end, the One is both the one who serves and the one who is served. Rest where the One keeps you. At the centre, the Rahao: say the Naam of the One who holds the world, and sing the praise of supreme joy.
Key Vocabulary
anad mool: the source of bliss
Dharam raa-ay: the reckoner of deeds
gobinday: the One who holds and sustains the world
saakat: one turned only outward
taylee balad: the oilman's ox at the press
aapay Thaakur aapay sayvak: the One is both master and servant
Themes and Cross-Connections
Anad mool Dhi-aa-i-o — meditating on the very source of bliss — sets the shabad's key: joy that comes from the root, not from circumstances. The ox-at-the-mill (taylee balad bhavanday) is the sharp counter-image: endless motion that gets nowhere, the loop of a life driven only by wanting.
For Raag Bilaaval
Bilaaval's well-being here is fearless gladness — a joy rooted in the source itself, unshaken by any dread of judgment or death.
Translation Notes
Dharam raa-ay kee kaan chukaa-ee... jam kay chhanday ("the Judge of Dharma has no power over me... cast off subservience to the Messenger of Death") is rendered as losing all fear of judgment and death, not as a terror to conquer. Verse 2's saakat moorh... taylee balad (the faithless, circling like the mill-ox) pictures the restless, circling heart with compassion, not contempt.
Hukumnama
Subject: Say the Naam of the One who holds the world Preview: a root of joy, a mill ox walking in circles, knots coming loose, a master who is also the servant.
Today: Some joy comes from things going your way. It runs out by evening. Other joy has deep roots. It comes from keeping the One in mind, and it lasts day and night. With that joy, even the biggest fears lose their grip. So say the Naam, and sing it. Finding the Guru is great good fortune. Without a centre, life can feel like the ox at an old oil mill, walking in circles all day and never arriving. Serving others breaks that loop. The knots loosen. And in the end, the One is both the one who serves and the one who is served. Rest where the One keeps you.
Say the Naam, and your joy grows from the root.
For today: Say the Naam softly for one minute, then help someone without being asked.
Rooted in the source of bliss, I live in joy and fear no judgment; the restless circle round like the ox at the mill, but those who serve are set free — for the One is master and servant both.
The Arc
Some joy comes from things going your way. It runs out by evening. Other joy has deep roots. It comes from keeping the One in mind, and it lasts day and night. With that joy, even the biggest fears lose their grip. So say the Naam, and sing it. Finding the Guru is great good fortune. Without a centre, life can feel like the ox at an old oil mill, walking in circles all day and never arriving. Serving others breaks that loop. The knots loosen. And in the end, the One is both the one who serves and the one who is served. Rest where the One keeps you. At the centre, the Rahao: say the Naam of the One who holds the world, and sing the praise of supreme joy.
Key Vocabulary
Themes and Cross-Connections
Anad mool Dhi-aa-i-o — meditating on the very source of bliss — sets the shabad's key: joy that comes from the root, not from circumstances. The ox-at-the-mill (taylee balad bhavanday) is the sharp counter-image: endless motion that gets nowhere, the loop of a life driven only by wanting.
For Raag Bilaaval
Bilaaval's well-being here is fearless gladness — a joy rooted in the source itself, unshaken by any dread of judgment or death.
Translation Notes
Dharam raa-ay kee kaan chukaa-ee... jam kay chhanday ("the Judge of Dharma has no power over me... cast off subservience to the Messenger of Death") is rendered as losing all fear of judgment and death, not as a terror to conquer. Verse 2's saakat moorh... taylee balad (the faithless, circling like the mill-ox) pictures the restless, circling heart with compassion, not contempt.
Hukumnama
Subject: Say the Naam of the One who holds the world Preview: a root of joy, a mill ox walking in circles, knots coming loose, a master who is also the servant.
Today: Some joy comes from things going your way. It runs out by evening. Other joy has deep roots. It comes from keeping the One in mind, and it lasts day and night. With that joy, even the biggest fears lose their grip. So say the Naam, and sing it. Finding the Guru is great good fortune. Without a centre, life can feel like the ox at an old oil mill, walking in circles all day and never arriving. Serving others breaks that loop. The knots loosen. And in the end, the One is both the one who serves and the one who is served. Rest where the One keeps you.
Say the Naam, and your joy grows from the root.
For today: Say the Naam softly for one minute, then help someone without being asked.