Everything seen will pass; those who hold the One truly live on.
The Arc
A memento-mori shabad that stays gentle. It opens by leveling every rank — not even the celestial beings remain here; even the wisest and most devoted rise up in their time and move on. The Rahao supplies the counterweight: those who keep the One in their hearts are seen to truly live, and in good company they come to see clearly. Kings, the wealthy, and traders all reach their end; whatever can be seen is subject to time; and clinging tightly to what fades leaves a quiet ache. It closes not in dread but in devotion: O boundless kindness, grant me the one gift of keeping Your Name, day and night.
Key Vocabulary
sur nar dayvaa: celestial and angelic beings
mun jan: silent sages, devoted servants
jo deesai so kaaleh kharnaa: whatever is seen is subject to time
koorhai mohi: attachment to the passing
kirpaa niDhaan: the treasure of mercy
Themes and Cross-Connections
The shabad's meditation on impermanence is meant to loosen our grip on the passing so we can hold the lasting — the Naam note, that the Name is what stays when body and reputation are left behind. Its answer to mortality is not despair but japee din raat, constant remembrance. 'Living well, not living long' is the quiet teaching of the Rahao.
For Raag Soohee
Soohee's tenderness keeps this shabad from tipping into fear. The raag of love turns even the fact of passing into a reason to love well now and to hold, above all, the one thing that does not fade.
Translation Notes
The literals (kings and merchants must die; regret at leaving attachments behind) are handled per wellbeing rules as calm truth and the natural ache of over-clinging, not as death-terror or punishment. The emphasis is placed on the Rahao's 'those who remember truly live on' and the closing prayer, so a child meets impermanence gently and constructively.
Everything seen will pass; those who hold the One truly live on.
The Arc
A memento-mori shabad that stays gentle. It opens by leveling every rank — not even the celestial beings remain here; even the wisest and most devoted rise up in their time and move on. The Rahao supplies the counterweight: those who keep the One in their hearts are seen to truly live, and in good company they come to see clearly. Kings, the wealthy, and traders all reach their end; whatever can be seen is subject to time; and clinging tightly to what fades leaves a quiet ache. It closes not in dread but in devotion: O boundless kindness, grant me the one gift of keeping Your Name, day and night.
Key Vocabulary
Themes and Cross-Connections
The shabad's meditation on impermanence is meant to loosen our grip on the passing so we can hold the lasting — the Naam note, that the Name is what stays when body and reputation are left behind. Its answer to mortality is not despair but japee din raat, constant remembrance. 'Living well, not living long' is the quiet teaching of the Rahao.
For Raag Soohee
Soohee's tenderness keeps this shabad from tipping into fear. The raag of love turns even the fact of passing into a reason to love well now and to hold, above all, the one thing that does not fade.
Translation Notes
The literals (kings and merchants must die; regret at leaving attachments behind) are handled per wellbeing rules as calm truth and the natural ache of over-clinging, not as death-terror or punishment. The emphasis is placed on the Rahao's 'those who remember truly live on' and the closing prayer, so a child meets impermanence gently and constructively.