The Ghoria composition, set in the rag of Vadahans, carries an emotional depth that reflects life’s most profound transitions: weddings and funerals. Rooted in folk traditions, Ghoria are celebratory songs sung by women from the groom’s family during the wedding procession. Yet, beneath the surface of these joyous melodies lies a deeper invitation that transcends the fleeting joy of earthly unions.

Vadahans, meaning “the great swan,” evokes the swan’s symbolism in Sikhi. The swan is often associated with the self, the inner-spirit, and our potential to rise above pretension and restlessness. In the Guru Granth Sahib, the swan and the crane serve as metaphors: the swan is calm and discerning, while the crane is restless and superficial. The question before us is clear—will we embody the clarity of the swan or remain caught in the pretensions of the crane?

Guru Ramdas Sahib elevates the groom’s wedding procession, a simple and familiar tradition, into a profound metaphor for life’s ultimate journey: the union of the being with the Creator, the One. The Guru invites us to pause and reflect on our existence through this imagery, reminding us of the preciousness of the body:

This body is like gold, its saddle is also of gold, Ram.
The saddle is made having studded the jewel-like Hari-Hari Nam, Ram.

This “mare-like body” we inhabit, this precious gift of life, is more than a mere vessel—it is an opportunity to live beautifully and in remembrance. Guru Ramdas Sahib invokes the Divine names of Ram (the Beautiful One) and Hari (the 1-Light) to emphasize for us the pervasive presence and beauty of the One.

How do we make the body beautiful like the Beautiful One?

There is work to be done, effort to be made! We make the mare-like body beautiful when we stud its saddle of Wisdom with the jewel-like Nam (Identification) of IkOankar (the One).

We pause.
What does it mean for the saddle to be of Wisdom?
What does it mean to adorn that saddle with Identification?

If the Wisdom guides us, if we remain devoted and in a state of Remembrance and Identification, we can become beautiful like the Beautiful One. This is an inner beautification. This happens when we inculcate the Divine virtues.

The Guru says that when we stud this jewel-like Identification onto the body and adorn ourselves in the virtues of the One, we are able to connect with and experience the One.

When we sing any of the virtues of the One, we connect with that virtue—we bring that virtue within us, and we become more like the One.

We receive the Word of the Wisdom, the teachings of the Wisdom, and we live in Remembrance. When we pursue a relationship with the One with great effort and devotion, we find comfort.

Through this process, this discipline, and this devotion, we create our own good fortune. Through our love for the One, we become like the One. We come to meet the One.

May we beautify ourselves with the virtues.
May we connect with the One.
May our love for the One remain ever-new and ever-fresh.

May the Wisdom-Guru guide us!