Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
In the midst of this world — not in retreat, not in a cave, not after everything settles down — do seva.
And you shall be given a place of honor in the court of the Lord.
Says Nanak: swing your arms in joy! Not a restrained, careful joy — a full-body, swing-your-arms joy. This is what the lit lamp feels like.
The closing verse ends not with solemn instruction but with something almost playful: bahut khushee man gaao — rejoice with great happiness. Saachaa nij ghar paa-i-aa — you have found your true home.
The instruction to swing your arms in joy is delightfully physical. Guru Nanak's spirituality is embodied, earthy, and full of the actual texture of being alive. The spiritual life doesn't end in stillness — it ends in joy that can't be contained.
This concludes the Mehl 1 (First House through Fifth House) shabads of Siree Raag — 31 compositions, all in Guru Nanak's voice, spanning the full range from self-confession to cosmic non-duality to the embodied joy of a lamp that has finally been lit.
What does genuine spiritual joy feel like for you — not happiness because things are going well, but a deeper, settled joy that doesn't depend on circumstances? Have you felt it? When?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI