Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
The very last pauri of Siree Raag. Guru Ram Das writes in the voice of Servant Nanak — as the Gurus often do, speaking as one continuous light across all the Gurus.
Since childhood, the True Guru has been the closest friend. The longing to see Him is unbearable. 'O Lord, show me mercy so I can meet the Guru.'
And then the final image: Servant Nanak gathers the Lord's Name into his lap like wealth.
Not gold. Not power. Not reputation. The Name. That is the treasure. That is what's in the lap at the end of everything.
This is where all the merchants of Siree Raag finally arrive. This is what they loaded. This is what they carried across.
The closing of this shabad — and of Siree Raag — uses the signature Naanak daas (Servant Nanak) which appears in the closing verses throughout the GGS. The Gurus wrote in this common voice as a theological statement: the light is continuous, the servant is one, the Name is the constant. Written by Guru Ram Das but voiced as Nanak, the shabad closes with Nanak gathering (sang laaiyaa) the Wealth of the Name (har naau dhann). The word dhann means both wealth/treasure and 'blessed.' The Guru gathers the Lord's Name as treasure. The Name is wealth. And the blessing is in the lap — the metaphor of something held, cradled, near. After everything in Siree Raag, this is where it ends.
If you look back at the whole of Siree Raag — all the merchants, all the soul-brides, all the Gurmukhs and Manmukhs — what is one thing you'll carry forward?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI