Nothing here is yours to keep — so gather the one wealth that stays.
The Arc
A waking-up shabad. The opening (Pauri0) is honest about impermanence: body, mind, and possessions are all on loan. The rahau (Pauri1) redirects to the one wealth that lasts. The middle pauris name what keeps a person asleep — the endless to-do list, cleverness spent on pennies, a grip that keeps aching — and the close (Pauri4) shows grace doing the waking: a proud mind made humble and taken by the hand.
Key Vocabulary
Naa tan tayraa naa man tohi — neither body nor mind is truly yours. Maya — the glittering, passing show of the world. Saach dhanaa — the true wealth. Hasat kamal larh leeno laa-ay — fastened to the hem of the robe by lotus hands.
Themes and Cross-Connections
The 'true wealth' theme runs throughout Guru Arjan's work: the one possession that death cannot strip away is the accumulated recognition of the One (see the project's note on Naam). Pride-melting-into-humility is the shabad's hinge.
For Raag Raamkalee
The urgency here is gentle, not grim — fitting Raamkalee's clear-eyed morning mood: wake up, not out of fear, but to live awake.
Translation Notes
Pauri0's death-noose and Pauri2's 'ignorant fool' are softened: time carrying all things away, and a gentle nudge to remember rather than a scolding, per the project's wellbeing and self-address rules.
Nothing here is yours to keep — so gather the one wealth that stays.
The Arc
A waking-up shabad. The opening (Pauri0) is honest about impermanence: body, mind, and possessions are all on loan. The rahau (Pauri1) redirects to the one wealth that lasts. The middle pauris name what keeps a person asleep — the endless to-do list, cleverness spent on pennies, a grip that keeps aching — and the close (Pauri4) shows grace doing the waking: a proud mind made humble and taken by the hand.
Key Vocabulary
Naa tan tayraa naa man tohi — neither body nor mind is truly yours. Maya — the glittering, passing show of the world. Saach dhanaa — the true wealth. Hasat kamal larh leeno laa-ay — fastened to the hem of the robe by lotus hands.
Themes and Cross-Connections
The 'true wealth' theme runs throughout Guru Arjan's work: the one possession that death cannot strip away is the accumulated recognition of the One (see the project's note on Naam). Pride-melting-into-humility is the shabad's hinge.
For Raag Raamkalee
The urgency here is gentle, not grim — fitting Raamkalee's clear-eyed morning mood: wake up, not out of fear, but to live awake.
Translation Notes
Pauri0's death-noose and Pauri2's 'ignorant fool' are softened: time carrying all things away, and a gentle nudge to remember rather than a scolding, per the project's wellbeing and self-address rules.
Last updated: 2026-07-09