Vahiguru ji ka Khalsa, Vahiguru ji ki Fatih!

In the Guru Granth Sahib, the compositions titled Mundavani invoke the globally recognizable poetic form of the riddle to illustrate another way of engaging with IkOankar (the One). Throughout history and across cultures, seals have been used to signify authenticity and protection. While etymological interpretations may vary, culturally, the word evokes a sense of concealment—sealed with the intention of being discovered or revealed.

This week, we turn to the third composition in Mundavani, uttered by Guru Arjan Sahib. Appearing toward the ending folios of the Guru Granth Sahib, it metaphorically serves as a riddle-seal: once resolved, that which was previously concealed is unfurled. Just as a seal protects and authenticates a precious message, this verse safeguards the essence of the teachings, revealing their depth to those who approach with openness and sincerity.

Guru Arjan Sahib speaks directly to the One and says:

I have not known Your doing; You have made me capable of this.
In me, the virtue-less, there is not any virtue; compassion has arisen in You by Your Own-Self.
Compassion has arisen within You, Your grace has been bestowed; true Guru, the friend, has been met.
If Your Nam is received by me, Nanak, only then do I live; the body, the mind becomes lush-green.1.

We listen.
We linger.
We reflect.

Each line builds gently upon the next, vulnerable and sweet, drawing the listener and reader deeper into an experience that is simultaneously profound and beautifully simple: Everything is Grace—illuminating the Grace that underlies existence, and guiding us toward humility, gratitude, and awareness.

Guru Arjan’s words are soaked in humility and emphasize true gratitude. These are not the words of someone seeking acknowledgment, but of someone profoundly aware of the One, the Doer and the Cause. This moment is striking: Guru Arjan Sahib, upon compiling the Adi Granth (first recension of the Guru Granth Sahib), turns not to self-praise or pride but to humility, and gratitude. This gratitude is deep—it permeates everything. This profound example calls us to reconsider how we understand our own actions and successes—not as isolated achievements, but as part of a larger flow of grace. It urges us to savor our gratitude as we feel the Grace, until every cell of our being feels the depth of what we’ve been given.

It is when Nam (Identification with the One) is received that we live. Before this happens, we are alive but not living. Our worlds lack color and vibrancy. When we experience that Identification with the One, when we feel the Presence and the Grace, our minds and bodies become lush-green. We blossom into humility, and it flows out of us through gentle and sincere action.

We are reminded: grace is not earned, it is received. And when received with humility, it reshapes everything. The Guru invites us to reflect on how we show gratitude to the One for the Grace that is ever-present and ever-accessible. We are invited to consider how we respond to a benevolence that holds us, shapes us, and makes the impossible possible—not just in moments of crisis, but in the quiet, everyday unfolding of our lives.

May we recognize the One as the Doer and the Cause.
May we Identify with that One.
May we feel the Grace.
May we bloom, inside and out.

May the Wisdom-Guru guide us!