Sikhism·Siree Raag·Ashtapadee 2
Verse 4 of 9

She Is the Hand-Maiden of Her Beloved Lord

ਪ੍ਰਿਅ ਕੀ ਚੇਰੀ ਕਾਂਢੀਐ ਲਾਲੀ ਮਾਨੈ ਨਾਉ ॥
pari-a kee chayree kaaNdhee-ai laalee maanai naa-o.
She is said to be the hand-maiden of her Beloved Lord; His sweetheart surrenders to His Name.
ਸਾਚੀ ਪ੍ਰੀਤਿ ਨ ਤੁਟਈ ਸਾਚੇ ਮੇਲਿ ਮਿਲਾਉ ॥
saachee pareet na tut-ee saachay mayl milaa-o.
True Love is never broken; she is united in Union with the True One.
ਸਬਦਿ ਰਤੀ ਮਨੁ ਵੇਧਿਆ ਹਉ ਸਦ ਬਲਿਹਾਰੈ ਜਾਉ ॥੩॥
sabad ratee man vayDhi-aa ha-o sad balihaarai jaa-o. ||3||
Attuned to the Word of the Shabad, her mind is pierced through. I am forever a sacrifice to Him. ||3||

Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa

In plain words

She is said to be the hand-maiden of her Beloved Lord. His sweetheart surrenders to His Name.

True Love is never broken. She is united in Union with the True One.

Attuned to the Word of the Shabad, her mind is pierced through.

True Love is never broken — what is genuinely given to the divine is given forever, and what the divine gives is permanent.
The deeper layer

The hand-maiden (daasi) posture — complete service, no separate agenda. The genuine bride is not a partner negotiating terms; she is wholly the beloved's, her identity defined by the relationship of service and love.

Sach prem kabhu na tutai — True Love is never broken. This is the distinguishing quality of the divine relationship over all human relationships: human love can break, human bonds can dissolve. The true love of the divine for the soul and the soul's genuine love for the divine — once established — is indestructible.

A Question to Sit With

Have you experienced a love or connection that felt genuinely unbreakable — not because you decided it was, but because it simply was? What was that?

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

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