These stanzas are titled
Savaiye, the plural form of
Savaiya, the poetic form in which they are composed. These savaiye are not set to any
rag (musical mode). While various meters and poetic devices are used within a savaiya, the primary purpose is to express devotion, praise, and love. This set consists of nine savaiye and forms the first set under the title
Sri Mukhbakya and Fifth
Embodiment. ‘Sri’ is a reverential title, while ‘Mukhbakya’ means ‘utterance from the mouth’. In this context, the utterances are revealed by Guru Arjan, the fifth embodiment of the Guru lineage. Through these savaiye, Guru Arjan expresses devotion, praise, and love for the beloved One,
IkOankar (One Creative and Pervasive Force, 1Force, the One). For our purposes, we will refer to the savaiye simply as stanzas.
1 creative and all-pervasive Supreme Being (IkOankar) whose Nam is unchangeable, eternal. IkOankar is the Creator of all creation. IkOankar is without fear and without enmity. IkOankar is not fixated in any time or form, never takes birth, and never dies. IkOankar is fully self-illuminated, reliant on no other. IkOankar is realized only through the Grace of the Wisdom-Guru. The composition begins with an invocation of the One. These words serve to anchor the One in our consciousness, providing a foundation of connection before continuing.
In the first stanza, Guru Arjan further describes the foundational aspects of
IkOankar (One Creative and Pervasive Force, 1Force, the One), introducing the One to whom he devotes himself, offering praise, and expressing love. IkOankar is described as the most primordial being, the creator of all, who causes all phenomena. IkOankar fully pervades every place and facet of existence, down to the smallest space in every being, making it clear that IkOankar is vast, not fixated anywhere, and is no more manifest in one place or being than another. While the One is seen pervading the world, Guru Arjan rhetorically asks:
who can know the One’s play? No one can truly grasp the fullness of IkOankar. IkOankar is the sovereign One whom nobody can own or claim, who protects
all. The name
Hari, the all-pervasive One, is invoked as an epithet for IkOankar, reminding us of the vastness of the One.
Guru Arjan elaborates on IkOankar’s vastness:
You are indestructible, imperceptible; Your creation is from Your Own-Self. Guru Arjan states that none other like IkOankar exists, nor does anyone come close to IkOankar, because IkOankar is truly limitless. Guru Arjan reiterates the ineffability of the One through another rhetorical question, implying that no one can truly contemplate or grasp the entirety of IkOankar. Guru Arjan lovingly refers to IkOankar as the parent of the world and the support of the breath of all beings.
At the end of the stanza, Guru Arjan invokes Guru Nanak, reminding us that all Guru embodiments are of the same Light, and says:
Servant Nanak, the accepted devotee at Your door, is equal to You, is like You, O Braham! To be at the door of IkOankar, referred to here through the epithet of
Braham, the Divine, implies a sense of loyalty and subservience. In South Asian culture, people wait at the doors of those who hold authority, dominion, and control over them. All the Guru embodiments sat at no other door than IkOankar’s. Further invoking the ineffability of IkOankar, Guru Arjan rhetorically implies that not even he with his singular tongue, nor anyone else, could truly narrate the vastness of the Divine. In the last line, Guru Arjan reiterates
five times that he devotes himself fully and always. This repetition denotes a profound level of devotion, praise, love, and adoration. In Indic poetic and spiritual culture, trios or groupings of three represent infiniteness, wholeness, and completeness. To go beyond three, to four or five, expresses a supreme ultimacy. It means Guru Arjan handed over every facet of himself to IkOankar.
Drawing these insights together, we are brought into both the ineffability and the immanence of IkOankar. We are reminded that no matter how much we think, reflect, and contemplate the One, the One remains vastly beyond comprehension. While many traditions fixate on the Divine in certain places or forms, we are urged to recognize that IkOankar cannot be confined to any particular form, space, or time. This does not mean we cannot connect with IkOankar—we certainly can, as we sense, feel, and experience IkOankar everywhere. Still, although we may relate to IkOankar in various ways, we ought to remember that we can never fully know the expanse of the One.
We are drawn further into the vastness of the One, invited to reflect on IkOankar’s incomparable power. Guru Arjan teaches that IkOankar protects, nurtures, and supports all. Although the world may claim the Divine is on one side or another, IkOankar is on all sides. Living in the paradigm of IkOankar means letting go of our personal beliefs about people’s or communities’ relationships with IkOankar. If we truly listen and see, we recognize that IkOankar pervades all. This experience calls for devotion, praise, and love—waiting at IkOankar’s door and nothing else. There, we realize that immense adoration is all we can offer.
Will we remain in devotion, love, and praise at IkOankar’s door, even for a fleeting glimpse of the One? Will we recognize that we can remain at IkOankar’s door wherever we are, as IkOankar is present everywhere? Will we chip away at the dualities we may hold so that we may live within the paradigm of IkOankar?
