Raag Goojaree
Commentary

Raag Bihaagraa, Fifth Mehl (Guru Arjan)

Shake off the snakes, gather the scattered heart, and seek the one eternal company.

(Filed in the 06-Raag-Goojaree folder, which spans into Raag Devgandhaari and the first Bihaagraa shabads.)

The Arc

The inner enemies named as poisonous snakes, actively shaken off (P0); the positive move — the Name repeated, peace obtained (P1); the scattered many-attachments that pull into a whirlpool (P2); the poignant image of all as travelers gathered briefly under the world-tree (P3); and the close — the one eternal company, gathered around praise, sought as shelter (P4).

Key Vocabulary

  • "poisonous snakes" — the inner enemies / harmful influences, to be shaken off (P0).
  • whirlpool of many attachments — a scattered heart pulled into a spin (P2).
  • "travellers under the world-tree" — the temporary, shared nature of life together (P3).
  • eternal Sangat — the one fellowship that does not end (P4).

Themes and Cross-Connections

Though in Raag Bihaagraa, this shabad shares the raag's steady themes: discernment about company (B00C1132), single-heartedness over scattered attachment, and the Sangat as refuge. The "travellers under the world-tree" (P3) is one of Guru Arjan's most tender images of shared transience.

For Raag Bihaagraa / Goojaree

Guru Arjan pairs active self-work (shaking off the snakes) with the positive turn (the Name, the eternal company) — and frames it all in the gentle light of our brief, shared gathering under one great tree.

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