Savaiye (Mukhbakya Mahala 5– II)

Guru Arjan Sahib

These savaiyas are named after the poetic form in which they are composed, known in the singular as savaiya. They are written without a prescribed rag, or musical mode. This set contains 11 savaiyas and is the second set under the title Sri Mukhbakya, Fifth Embodiment. ‘Sri’ is a reverential title, and ‘Mukhbakya’ means ‘utterance from the mouth.’ Here, the utterances are revealed from the revered Guru Arjan, the fifth in the Guru-lineage. The savaiyas reflect the Guru’s life: his devotion, praise, and love for IkOankar (One Creative and Pervasive Force, 1Force, the One), the institution-building he accomplished, and the hardships he was triumphant over. We will refer to the savaiyas simply as stanzas. 

The creative and all-pervasive IkOankar is One that is unparalleled. IkOankar is realized through the grace of the eternal Wisdom (Guru). The composition commences with an invitation, a grounding reminder, perhaps even a call to action, urging seekers to center the One in their remembrance. We are reminded that through the Wisdom-Guru we are graced, allowing us to connect with IkOankar. 

Guru Arjan begins the first stanza by describing the body as ‘raw,’ ‘unbaked’—impermanent and fragile, much like an unfired clay pot. This temporary, vulnerable nature is inescapable. Beyond this, people become even more unsteady due to their engagement in Maya, their attachment to transient things and relationships. Guru Arjan specifically highlights the ego-driven pursuit of youthfulness and beauty, noting how righteous acts are often neglected in favor of these fleeting pursuits. He points out how righteous acts, worthy of doing, are forgone in pursuit of these things. People become mired in flawed intentions and act in foolish, unwise ways; an immense lack of virtue arises within. Having never discovered the worth of IkOankar, the Transcendent Being, people become restless, arrogant, unkind, and lack compassion.

Guru Arjan explains how egotism creates deeper internal fractures, and in turn, disrupts our relationships. People become blind and intoxicated by their desires, finding sweetness in gossip, speaking ill of others, and coveting what is not theirs. This false sweetness is sticky and hard to remove, like a gooey candy that provides no nourishment. Even when aware of their wrongdoing, people may still try to deceive others and hide their actions. Rather than finding a real sweetness, the sweetness of a relationship with IkOankar, they continue seeking this stickiness which eats away at virtuousness. Guru Arjan offers a stark reminder: nothing can be hidden from Prabhu, the Husband, the innermost Knower, who sees and hears everything.​

We find ourselves with nowhere left to turn. The dilapidated internal state resulting from chasing fleeting allure is undeniable; virtues are eroded. Guru Arjan illuminates a path forward: O IkOankar, the Bestower of life! I have come into Your sanctuary, defeated and lost. When there is no other way forward, there is nowhere to seek refuge other than in IkOankar. Guru Arjan invokes the name of Guru Nanak, reminding us that all Guru embodiments share the same light. Demonstrating what it means to seek this refuge, he addresses IkOankar as the Sovereign of creation and the Cause of all causes, offering an earnest plea to be graced and kept forever in IkOankar’s sanctuary. 

By invoking the human body in this stanza, Guru Arjan points to that which we most often become attached to. Whether someone is absorbed in pride over their appearance or constantly wishing it looked different, the pain of attachment is present. Bodily cravings and sensations can occupy our minds relentlessly. We may chase after people, experiences, or things, but it is never enough. We may dread the loss of youth as wrinkles and gray hairs appear. The mention of youthfulness here carries deeper significance: it is in youth that we have more energy to devote, praise, and love. Youth is the time to cultivate virtue before coldness and disconnect settle in—yet too often, we become wrapped up in transient things, as Guru Arjan observes.

The momentum of these attachments can truly degrade our virtues, as Guru Arjan describes. We may have gone down this path before, or be on this trajectory now. When these habits become ingrained, our attachments become the only sweetness we recognize. IkOankar, who knows our inner world intimately, may then seem like a distant fantasy or obscure idea, rather than life’s original and eternal source of sweetness. Our lives break further and further into pieces as the pit of virtuelessness within begins to affect our surroundings and relationships. While we may be able to deceive and keep our behaviors from some, we can never hide from our own self and IkOankar, who is present in all and knows our inner world. 

At some point—perhaps upon hitting ‘rock bottom’ or on the way there—we realize our lives need change. Perhaps our relationships have all been destroyed, or the things that once put a twinkle in our eyes no longer bring us joy. The artificial sweetness fades, revealing emptiness beneath the spectacle. By Grace, we are led to seek refuge in the One. There, we find reprieve and safety, recognizing IkOankar as the Sovereign of all and the Cause of all causes. We plead to always remain in the sanctuary of that One. 

Will we recognize the ways our external attachments cause our virtues to wither away? Will we take refuge in IkOankar, the only place where the stickiness of material attachments is washed away? Will we move past our fragility and perishability through connection with IkOankar?