As naturally as a mother loves to feed her child or a cow loves her calf, the teacher loves to feed the soul -- and the devotee loves to bow at the feet of the holy.
The Arc
This shabad is a garland of love-similes. Pauri 0: mother and son, fish and water, the Guru placing food in the GurSikh's mouth. The Rahao (Pauri 1): longing to meet the humble servants, whose meeting lifts sorrow. Pauri 2: the cow and strayed calf, the bride and the returning husband -- the love of reunion. Pauri 3: the rainbird and the rain, the king and his displayed wealth, the servant and the formless One. Pauri 4: ordinary love of accumulation versus the GurSikh's love of the Guru and the dust of the Saints' feet.
Key Vocabulary
love-similes: natural, instinctive loves paired with the love between Guru and disciple
the Guru feeding: realization as nourishment placed in the mouth, not seized
reunion-love: cow and calf, bride and husband -- singing as the joy of reunion
nirankaar: the formless One the servant loves by nature
Themes and Cross-Connections
Guru Ram Das's signature love-poetry (cf. the five love-metaphors of the Siree Raag ashtapadee) renders devotion as the most natural thing in the world. The Guru feeding the disciple is grace as nourishment (philosophy.md, Har Ras; Gurprasad), and the closing contrast of accumulation versus love of the holy restates the relocation of treasure from things to nearness (philosophy.md, Sat Sangat).
For Raag Gauree
Gauree's reflective mood softens into tenderness here. The cascade of natural loves -- mother, fish, cow, bird -- makes the love of the One feel not like a discipline but like the most instinctive thing a heart can do.
As naturally as a mother loves to feed her child or a cow loves her calf, the teacher loves to feed the soul -- and the devotee loves to bow at the feet of the holy.
The Arc
This shabad is a garland of love-similes. Pauri 0: mother and son, fish and water, the Guru placing food in the GurSikh's mouth. The Rahao (Pauri 1): longing to meet the humble servants, whose meeting lifts sorrow. Pauri 2: the cow and strayed calf, the bride and the returning husband -- the love of reunion. Pauri 3: the rainbird and the rain, the king and his displayed wealth, the servant and the formless One. Pauri 4: ordinary love of accumulation versus the GurSikh's love of the Guru and the dust of the Saints' feet.
Key Vocabulary
Themes and Cross-Connections
Guru Ram Das's signature love-poetry (cf. the five love-metaphors of the Siree Raag ashtapadee) renders devotion as the most natural thing in the world. The Guru feeding the disciple is grace as nourishment (philosophy.md, Har Ras; Gurprasad), and the closing contrast of accumulation versus love of the holy restates the relocation of treasure from things to nearness (philosophy.md, Sat Sangat).
For Raag Gauree
Gauree's reflective mood softens into tenderness here. The cascade of natural loves -- mother, fish, cow, bird -- makes the love of the One feel not like a discipline but like the most instinctive thing a heart can do.
Last updated: 2026-06-28