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Sikhism·Raag Soohee·Shabad 105
Verse 1 of 4

Four Ages of Searching

ਸੂਹੀ ਮਹਲਾ ੩ ॥
soohee mehlaa 3.
Soohee, Third Mehl:
ਜੁਗ ਚਾਰੇ ਧਨ ਜੇ ਭਵੈ ਬਿਨੁ ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਸੋਹਾਗੁ ਨ ਹੋਈ ਰਾਮ ॥
jug chaaray Dhan jay bhavai bin satgur sohaag na ho-ee raam.
The soul-bride may wander throughout the four ages, but still, without the True Guru, she will not find her True Husband Lord.
ਨਿਹਚਲੁ ਰਾਜੁ ਸਦਾ ਹਰਿ ਕੇਰਾ ਤਿਸੁ ਬਿਨੁ ਅਵਰੁ ਨ ਕੋਈ ਰਾਮ ॥
nihchal raaj sadaa har kayraa tis bin avar na ko-ee raam.
The Kingdom of the Lord is permanent, and forever unchanging; there is no other than Him.
ਤਿਸੁ ਬਿਨੁ ਅਵਰੁ ਨ ਕੋਈ ਸਦਾ ਸਚੁ ਸੋਈ ਗੁਰਮੁਖਿ ਏਕੋ ਜਾਣਿਆ ॥
tis bin avar na ko-ee sadaa sach so-ee gurmukh ayko jaani-aa.
There is no other than Him - He is True forever; the Gurmukh knows the One Lord.
ਧਨ ਪਿਰ ਮੇਲਾਵਾ ਹੋਆ ਗੁਰਮਤੀ ਮਨੁ ਮਾਨਿਆ ॥
Dhan pir maylaavaa ho-aa gurmatee man maani-aa.
That soul-bride, whose mind accepts the Guru's Teachings, meets her Husband Lord.
ਸਤਿਗੁਰੁ ਮਿਲਿਆ ਤਾ ਹਰਿ ਪਾਇਆ ਬਿਨੁ ਹਰਿ ਨਾਵੈ ਮੁਕਤਿ ਨ ਹੋਈ ॥
satgur mili-aa taa har paa-i-aa bin har naavai mukat na ho-ee.
Meeting the True Guru, she finds the Lord; without the Lord's Name, there is no liberation.
ਨਾਨਕ ਕਾਮਣਿ ਕੰਤੈ ਰਾਵੇ ਮਨਿ ਮਾਨਿਐ ਸੁਖੁ ਹੋਈ ॥੧॥
naanak kaaman kantai raavay man maanee-ai sukh ho-ee. ||1||
O Nanak, the soul-bride ravishes and enjoys her Husband Lord; her mind accepts Him, and she finds peace. ||1||

Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa

In plain words

A heart could wander through every age and still not find its true Beloved without the Teacher. The One's realm is steady and unchanging; there is no other beside Him.

There is no other — the One is true forever, and the heart that faces the Teacher knows this One.

When a heart accepts the Teacher's guidance, it meets its Beloved. Meeting the true Teacher, it finds the One — for without the Name there is no freedom. When the heart accepts the One, it delights in the Beloved and finds peace.

Endless searching on its own does not arrive — it is the heart's inner yes that opens the way.
The deeper layer

jug chaaray dhan jay bhavai — the soul could roam through all four ages, yet bin satgur sohaag na ho-ee, without the Teacher there is no true union: searching alone, without guidance, does not arrive. The turning word is man maani-aa — the mind maani-aa, comes into inner alignment. This is Mannai: not merely agreeing that something is true but living from it, letting it reorganize you. Peace, sukh, follows that inner yes.

A Question to Sit With

Have you ever searched hard for something and realized what you needed was a change inside you?

Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI

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