Raag Raamkalee
Commentary

Raag Raamkalee, Ashtapadee, Mehl 5 (Guru Arjan)

Every creature rests on You; the Name lifts the mind; bring the One everything you feel, and rest in good company.

The Arc

This Ashtapadee is built of single, unhurried lines. It opens on the widest ground: every being that can be seen depends on the One's support. The rahau names the one hinge: this restless mind is lifted and carried by the Name. Then the lines move like beads on a thread — the One builds and unbuilds in an instant; desire, anger, greed, falsehood and slander loosen in holy company; the Name makes the mind clear and the days peaceful; whoever enters the shelter of the devoted loses out nowhere; bring the One your joy and your pain and your whole state of mind; You are the Giver of all beings and You cherish what You have made. It closes in pure gratitude: countless times over, the heart bows in thanks to those who serve the One.

Key Vocabulary

  • Dhaarnaa — support, holding-up; every being rests on it.
  • UDhaarnaa — lifted across, saved; what the Name does for the mind (the rahau).
  • Birthaa... saarnaa — laying one's whole condition, joy and pain, before the One.
  • Vanjai vaarnaa — glad self-offering; the closing gratitude.

Themes and Cross-Connections

Two of the Fifth Guru's steadiest teachings meet here: nothing holds itself up (everything is supported), and the tangled mind is untangled not by force but by the Name and good company. P6 models honest prayer — bringing the whole self, hard parts included. It pairs with 2063 (the Giver who cherishes what He makes) and completes this set of Raamkalee Ashtapadees on a note of thanks.

For Raag Raamkalee

The seeker's raag ends this set not in solitary austerity but in belonging: safety is found in the shelter of the devoted, and the last word is gratitude for the good-hearted. Community, not isolation, is the resting place.

Translation Notes

  • P3 (kaam kroDh lobh jhooth nindaa) is rendered gently as things that loosen their grip in good company, framing the inner tangle as something dissolved rather than punished.
  • P6 models honest prayer: joy and pain alike are welcome to bring before the One.
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