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Sikhism·Siree Raag·Shabad 53
Verse 3 of 5

Those Who Sleep Shall Be Plundered

ਮਨ ਕੀਆ ਇਛਾ ਪੂਰੀਆ ਸਬਦਿ ਰਹਿਆ ਭਰਪੂਰਿ ॥
man kee-aa ichhaa pooree-aa sabad rahi-aa bharpoor.
The desires of the mind are fulfilled, when one is filled to overflowing with the Shabad.
ਭੈ ਭਾਇ ਭਗਤਿ ਕਰਹਿ ਦਿਨੁ ਰਾਤੀ ਹਰਿ ਜੀਉ ਵੇਖੈ ਸਦਾ ਹਦੂਰਿ ॥
bhai bhaa-ay bhagat karahi din raatee har jee-o vaykhai sadaa hadoor.
One who fears, loves, and is devoted to the Dear Lord day and night, sees Him always close at hand.
ਸਚੈ ਸਬਦਿ ਸਦਾ ਮਨੁ ਰਾਤਾ ਭ੍ਰਮੁ ਗਇਆ ਸਰੀਰਹੁ ਦੂਰਿ ॥
sachai sabad sadaa man raataa bharam ga-i-aa sareerahu door.
Doubt runs far away from the bodies of those, whose minds remain forever attuned to the True Word of the Shabad.
ਨਿਰਮਲੁ ਸਾਹਿਬੁ ਪਾਇਆ ਸਾਚਾ ਗੁਣੀ ਗਹੀਰੁ ॥੨॥
nirmal saahib paa-i-aa saachaa gunee gaheer. ||2||
The Immaculate Lord and Master is found. He is True; He is the Ocean of Excellence. ||2||

Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa

In plain words

Those who sleep shall be plundered. Those who stay awake — alive in watchful awareness — shall be saved.

Those who become Gurmukh, who stay awake through the Guru's Word, are not robbed.

Spiritual alertness — *jaagrat*, wakefulness — is not optional. It is what protects what you have cultivated.

Spiritual sleep is not rest — it is the state in which what you've cultivated is plundered.
The deeper layer

Soye thagey jaage bachey — those who sleep are robbed; those who are awake are saved. The jaagte (the wakeful) are the Gurmukhs who maintain the practice of the Word.

Spiritual wakefulness is a recurring theme across traditions: Buddhist sati (mindfulness, often translated "remembrance"), Sufi muraqaba (watchful attention), Christian nepsis (watchfulness). The name changes; the practice is the same: stay alert to what is happening in your own awareness.

A Question to Sit With

What is your version of 'falling asleep' spiritually — the state you drift into when you're not paying attention? What triggers it, and what wakes you up?

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

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