Raag Sorath
Commentary

Raag Sorath, Ti-Padas, Mehl 9 (Guru Tegh Bahadur)

The answer to every seeking question is as near as your own reflection.

The Arc

Rahau (Pauri 0): what can a person do to fill a life with love for the One and let go of fear? Pauri 1: which actions, knowledge, way of living, which Name to remember? Pauri 2: in this age the One Name is a treasure of kindness; nothing else compares. Pauri 3: the One, steady beyond every up and down, lives within you, as near as your reflection in a mirror.

Key Vocabulary

  • ka-un upaa-o karai: what effort should one make
  • ayk naam kirpaa nidh: the One Name, treasure of mercy
  • sukh dukh rahat nirlaypee: beyond pain and pleasure, unattached
  • darpan ni-aa-ee: like the image in a mirror

Themes and Cross-Connections

A question-and-answer shabad: the seeking questions of Pauri 1 are answered by the nearness of Pauri 3. The One's steadiness (nirlaypee, sahaj-like) is offered as something already dwelling within the seeker.

For Raag Sorath

Sorath's grounded intimacy suits the closing image of the One as near as one's own reflection.

Translation Notes

The Vedas are cited approvingly in the literal ('so speak the Vedas') and kept as a respectful cross-tradition reference. 'Fear of death' (jam) is rendered simply as fear.

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