Savaiye (Mukhbakya Mahala 5– II)

Guru Arjan Sahib

Guru Arjan brings this composition to a concise yet elegant close in the eleventh stanza (savaiya). In the previous stanza, he described the transformative power of love, praise, and devotion to IkOankar (One Creative and Pervasive Force, 1Force, the One). Here, in contrast, Guru Arjan highlights how people, not rooted in genuine love, praise, and devotion, squander time in spiritual pursuits. Despite seeking truth and liberation, an emphasis on outward displays and rituals creates internal entanglements. Pretentiousness, judgment, misunderstanding, and other undesirable tendencies take root. Guru Arjan cites examples from various Indic traditions. He invokes the extent to which people study the Shastras, a series of six major texts within Hinduism, becoming engrossed in them. He invokes the smearing of ashes on the body, representing impermanence, and the ritual visiting of pilgrimage sites seeking merit and purification. He invokes those who deny their bodies’ instincts and go hungry, those who grow matted hair to express detachment, those who focus on geometric symbolism, such as walking or drawing circles, and those who maintain strict food purity, such as refusing to eat food cooked by others.
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Guru Arjan captures this with a poignant metaphor, comparing those caught in such approaches to a silkworm. As it makes silk, the silkworm spins a cocoon around itself, ultimately trapping itself in the vessel where it dies. The message is clear: entanglement in physical disciplines and rituals weaves a web that binds people. This leads to demise—not just in the inevitability of death, but in how life is lived, the fruitfulness of one’s pursuits, and the connection with IkOankar that is developed. Love, praise, and devotion cannot be reduced to acts of renunciation or austerity. Through Grace, they take root and bloom from genuine connection with the One.
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We all seek happiness, and there are two main approaches to finding it—one rooted in physical attainment, the other in spiritual realization. Some pursue happiness through relationships, possessions, or external changes. Others seek liberation from suffering through spiritual growth, channeling their time and energy into that goal. The irony is that these spiritual efforts can end up mirroring material pursuits. The entrapments don’t disappear; they simply take new forms, and the internal disconnection from IkOankar is recreated. Guru Arjan’s examples come from an Indic context, but these tendencies are global in scope. Across traditions, there is often a fixation on ritual purity, food, pilgrimage, or physical discipline, which often become simply outward displays of piety. In this illusion, we believe maintaining an image in others’ eyes is enough.
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Guru Arjan, reiterating the wisdom of the entire composition, says this demise happens when there is no praise of Hari. Hari, a name for IkOankar, highlights the all-pervasive and fear-eliminating nature of the One, who is always with us. When we love, praise, and devote ourselves to IkOankar, by Grace we experience true fulfillment, as described in earlier stanzas. We realize that what people truly seek in physical practices—which can become entrapments—is actually found through loving devotion. When we see the value of loving devotion, a simpler path emerges. We long for connection with the One in the unique way that loving devotion provides, and we no longer fall into the traps of ritual or outward practice. Guru Arjan clarifies that the purpose of devotion is connection and lived experience, here and now. All methods that do not lead to this are simply distractions.

Will we see that what we may have thought of as ‘religious’ or ‘devotional’ practices may not truly be serving their purpose, and instead distract people? Will we pursue that path which takes us beyond these entrapments, which is the path of love, praise and devotion? Will we trust our love, praise, and devotion to connect with that all-pervasive One whom we seek liberation in? 

SUMMARY
These eleven stanzas, revealed by Guru Arjan, trace the depths and stages of the journey that ultimately lead to love, praise, and devotion to IkOankar (One Creative and Pervasive Force, 1Force, the One). Guru Arjan details how darkness envelops the lives of those not grounded in consistent, loving devotion. A mind lacking devotion becomes susceptible to Maya—the attachment and allure of transient things and relationships. Virtues wither away in the pursuit of impermanent things like relationships, possessions, wealth, and reputation. One may become so devoid of virtue that they steal from others, lie about their actions, and hoard their accumulations. Like a rat, the mind retreats deep into the cave of the body, dwelling in self-absorption and ignorance.
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This ignorance is forgetfulness of the original, ever-present grace of IkOankar. Guru Arjan reminds us of all the things in our lives that unfold seamlessly, without thought or effort—from the rare miracle of embodied life, beginning with the union of sperm and egg, to the many comforts we enjoy. Despite this continual showering of grace, forgetfulness pervades. Guru Arjan emphasizes that our time here is limited, and urges us to cultivate remembrance while we are young. Before we know it, the body ages and we meet death. We ought to not let this happen without embracing the opportunity for union with the benevolent One through praise, love, and devotion. As part of this pursuit, Guru Arjan encourages us to see life as a dream, rather than becoming so entangled that we forget its dream-like nature.
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Another core theme in these stanzas is the subversion of preconceived ideas about spirituality and connection with the Divine. How does one truly arrive there? Guru Arjan highlights the supreme importance of praise, love, and devotion, invoking figures from the wider Indic tradition regarded as masters of divine connection. He mentions all kinds of idolized beings, from religious scholars to deities. Guru Arjan wants us to see that their searching and defining are fruitless, because they are not rooted in love and devotion, but in intellectualism and mastery. This is not the path Guru Arjan sets before us. We must not fall into the same trap—believing that creating rigid disciplines is both the journey and the destination. When people become entangled in such systems, it is like a silkworm spinning itself into a cocoon and dying there.
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It is only by taking refuge in IkOankar and coming into remembrance that we are graced and freed from these bondages. This happens through singing the praises of IkOankar, the all-pervasive and imminent One; by seeking the company of Truth-oriented and devoted beings on the same path; and by learning from those who exemplify Truth. Walking this way, we are graced with a glimpse of IkOankar and come to yearn for that glimpse continually. We recognize the enticing and beautiful lotus-feet of Nam—the experience of Identification with IkOankar. That Identification forges a connection so strong that we become steadfast, fearless, and filled with love, even in the face of adversity.