Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
The summons has arrived — from the Lord of the Universe himself. You must go, and what comes with you is only what you did while you were here. Not a single moment's delay is granted. Death takes hold with firm hands.
The ones who lived only for themselves, turned inward on their own ego's wants — they find misery waiting. But those who served the Guru, who turned their face toward the light — they arrive in the Court of the Lord, and they shine there.
This body is a field. Every age of life is a planting season. What you sow is what you will eat.
Says Nanak: the devotees shine in the Lord's Court. The self-turned soul wanders.
"Receiving the summons from the Lord of the Universe"
Likhi-ā ā'i-ā govind kā — "receiving the written summons from the Lord of the Universe." The word likhi-ā (written) connects to the "pen on the forehead" from Shabad 129's first pauri — the destiny written at birth is now the summons written at death. The circle closes. What was written at the beginning is now collected at the end.
Govind (Lord of the Universe — literally, "protector of the world" or "finder of cows," a name for the divine with pastoral roots) is specifically chosen here. Guru Arjan uses Govind throughout his compositions as the name that emphasizes the Lord's ownership of all that exists. The summons comes from the Owner, calling back what was always His.
"Not a moment's delay"
Ik ratī bilam na devnī — "not even a moment's delay is given." The contrast with daily life is stark. In life, there is always tomorrow, always later, always time to start the spiritual work after this one more thing. At death, that option vanishes completely. There is no negotiating with the Messenger. This is not cruelty — it is the nature of endings.
The body as field of karma
Karam dhartī sarīr jug antar, jo bovai so khāt — "the body is the field of karma in this age; whatever you plant, you shall harvest." This closing metaphor is one of the most memorable in all of Siree Raag. The entire Pehray composition — four watches of life, the gradual turning of seasons — is contained in this agricultural image: we have been watching the planting the whole time, and here, in the final pauri, the harvest is named.
The field is the body. The age of life is the growing season. Karma (karam) — action, the accumulated weight of what you have done — is what gets planted. There is no escaping the harvest; the question was always what you planted. Guru Arjan leaves us with this image because it is both utterly simple and utterly complete. There is nothing more to explain.
*What have you been planting this season of your life — and is that what you want to be eating at the harvest?*
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI