O’ dear friend! Know this in your mind.
The world is entangled in its own pleasures; no one is for anyone else. ||1|| Reflect ||

In good times, many come and sit together, surrounding you on all four sides.
But when hard times come, they all leave, and no one comes near you. ||1||

Your wife, whom you love so much, and who has remained ever attached to you,
runs away crying, “Ghost! Ghost!” as soon as the swan leaves this body. ||2||

This is the way they act—those whom we love so much.
At the very last moment, O Nanak, no one is any use at all, except the Divine. ||3||12||139|

     Guru Teghbahadur Sahib in Rag Sorath  | Guru Granth Sahib 634
‍

ਸੋਰਠਿ ਮਹਲਾ ੯ ॥
ਪ੍ਰੀਤਮ ਜਾਨਿ ਲੇਹੁ ਮਨ ਮਾਹੀ ॥
ਅਪਨੇ ਸੁਖ ਸਿਉ ਹੀ ਜਗੁ ਫਾਂਧਿਓ ਕੋ ਕਾਹੂ ਕੋ ਨਾਹੀ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
ਸੁਖ ਮੈ ਆਨਿ ਬਹੁਤੁ ਮਿਲਿ ਬੈਠਤ ਰਹਤ ਚਹੂ ਦਿਸਿ ਘੇਰੈ ॥
ਬਿਪਤਿ ਪਰੀ ਸਭ ਹੀ ਸੰਗੁ ਛਾਡਿਤ ਕੋਊ ਨ ਆਵਤ ਨੇਰੈ ॥੧॥
ਘਰ ਕੀ ਨਾਰਿ ਬਹੁਤੁ ਹਿਤੁ ਜਾ ਸਿਉ ਸਦਾ ਰਹਤ ਸੰਗ ਲਾਗੀ ॥
ਜਬ ਹੀ ਹੰਸ ਤਜੀ ਇਹ ਕਾਂਇਆ ਪ੍ਰੇਤ ਪ੍ਰੇਤ ਕਰਿ ਭਾਗੀ ॥੨॥
ਇਹ ਬਿਧਿ ਕੋ ਬਿਉਹਾਰੁ ਬਨਿਓ ਹੈ ਜਾ ਸਿਉ ਨੇਹੁ ਲਗਾਇਓ ॥
ਅੰਤ ਬਾਰ ਨਾਨਕ ਬਿਨੁ ਹਰਿ ਜੀ ਕੋਊ ਕਾਮਿ ਨ ਆਇਓ ॥੩॥੧੨॥੧੩੯॥

Reflection

Today’s Hukam lands like a quiet truth spoken directly to the heart. It begins with a reminder full of clarity and compassion: Know that the Divine resides within you.

Listen, my beloved one. The world is entangled—caught in webs of self-interest, survival, and fleeting pleasure. Everyone is moving according to their own desires. No one truly belongs to anyone else.

Reflect.

During joyful moments, people gather around. Smiles, laughter, company. But in difficult times? The circle shrinks. Sometimes it vanishes. Even the life partner you love dearly, the one you thought would always be there— will recoil in fear when the breath leaves your body. “Ghost!” they cry.

Such is the way of the world. So why attach yourself so tightly to what cannot accompany you? Why pour your love into what is temporary, and forget the Eternal?

The One, the Divine, the Ever-Present—that alone remains.

Nam (Divine-Identification) is the boat. You can gather all the riches, all the comforts, all the companionship in the world— but if you don’t have a boat, how will you cross the ocean?

When your final breath comes, none of what you cling to will come with you. No one will. Except for the One.

My learning: Anchor yourself in the Divine. Remember Nam daily. Detach from the illusion that others can offer you lasting refuge. Return to the One who has always been with you. The One who does not leave. The One who carries you across.

A powerful reminder of what truly matters.

About the Series

Sabad is Infinite; we are very finite. This is our understanding at the moment, which was different yesterday and may evolve tomorrow, as we deepen our relationship with the Sabad. In this trans-creation, we have chosen to keep the repeating words in the Sabad same. We aspire to learn and retain the Divine attribute as used in the original Sabad and avoid terms like God or Lord.