Raag Bilaaval
Commentary

Raag Bilaaval, Du-Pada, Mehl 5 (Guru Arjan)

The home a true guide watches over stands firm; ill-will thrown at it falls back on itself, and the Word one rests in cannot be broken.

The Arc

A short Du-Pada folding Rahau and first verse together. The Rahau names the home made lasting by the guide; the verse warns that ill-will aimed at such a home turns back on itself. The close takes shelter in a Word that is unbreakable and boundless.

Key Vocabulary

  • asthir ghar baar: the home made lasting and secure
  • nindaa: ill-will, which falls back on the one who throws it
  • saran: shelter
  • sabad akhand: the unbreakable Word
  • apaar: boundless, without edges

Themes and Cross-Connections

The protected home and the unbreakable Word are one theme: a shelter holds because what it rests on cannot be broken. The verse against slander is reframed, per standing practice, so ill-will is self-defeating rather than divinely cursed.

For Raag Bilaaval

Bilaaval's security shows as steadiness — a home and a Word that simply hold, whatever is thrown at them.

Translation Notes

The literal has the Creator destroying whoever slanders the home; this is reframed so ill-will falls back on itself and the home stands firm, keeping the reassurance and setting aside the note of a curse.


Last updated: 2026-07-08

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