Raag Dhanaasaree
Commentary

Raag Dhanaasaree, Du-Pada, Mehl 4 (Guru Ram Das)

Sing, learn, and serve — and be wholly at peace; the treasure of mercy blesses, cares slip away, and the One becomes a friend.

The Arc

Three joined actions open the shabad — sing the praise, learn of the One, serve — leading to feeling welcome and merging into the light. The Rahao makes the promise plain: keep the Name in mind and be wholly at peace; serving sets one free. The close is tender and personal: the treasure of mercy blessed me, I fell in love, my worries slipped away, and the One became my friend and companion (||2||2||8||).

Key Vocabulary

  • gun kaho... kar sayvaa: sing, learn, serve
  • sarab sukhee: wholly at peace
  • kirpaa nidh: the treasure of mercy
  • baho chint visaaree: many cares forgotten
  • har bha-ay hai sakhaa-ee: the One became my friend and companion

Themes and Cross-Connections

Sakhaa-ee (friend/companion) is the warm heart of this shabad — the One is not a distant ruler but a companion, matching the project's tender, relational reading of the divine. The peace named is close to sahaj, the natural ease of a soul no longer tossed about (philosophy.md, Sahaj).

For Raag Dhanaasaree

The raag's longing arrives at friendship: the Beloved sought across the whole raag turns out to be near, a companion who becomes one's own.

Translation Notes

Fir janam na aavahi (no more cycle of birth) is rendered as freedom from endless restlessness into belonging, per the project's framing.

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