(Continues from the last month)
॥ ਜਪੁ ॥
Jap.
The literal meaning of ਜਪੁ is to recite or to reflect, but it is also the name of the bani, because Fifth Nanak has given a number “one” at the end of this bani to state that this is a complete composition.
The slok given below gives us a reason to understand ਜਪੁ /Jap as remembering Ekankar:
ਸਲੋਕੁ ॥
ਨਾਨਕ ਨਾਮੁ ਨਾਮੁ ਜਪੁ ਜਪਿਆ ਅੰਤਰਿ ਬਾਹਰਿ ਰੰਗਿ ॥
ਗੁਰਿ ਪੂਰੈ ਉਪਦੇਸਿਆ ਨਰਕੁ ਨਾਹਿ ਸਾਧਸੰਗਿ ॥੧॥
Salok.
Nānak nām nām jap japi-ā anṯar bāhar rang.
Gur pūrai upḏesi-ā narak nāhi sāḏẖsang. ||1||
{SGGS–257}
In essence: Oh Nanak! By uttering Har’s name repeatedly, one gets drenched in Har’s love completely. A person who is instructed by the perfect Guru and who remains in the congregation of Sant doesn’t experience hell.
In common usage “Jap” means to recite with concentration; here its meaning is more than reciting; also it can be about remembering Akalpurakh expressed in the “Mool Mantra”, the prelude to Japji, and to recite and to contemplate all expressed in the bani of Japji. Before going to the next verse, which is a slok, let me state one thing more: Ekankar is beyond genders, because the Guru says on 103, SGGS:
ਤੂੰ ਮੇਰਾ ਪਿਤਾ ਤੂੰਹੈ ਮੇਰਾ ਮਾਤਾ ॥
ਤੂੰ ਮੇਰਾ ਬੰਧਪੁ ਤੂੰ ਮੇਰਾ ਭ੍ਰਾਤਾ ॥
ਤੂੰ ਮੇਰਾ ਰਾਖਾ ਸਭਨੀ ਥਾਈ ਤਾ ਭਉ ਕੇਹਾ ਕਾੜਾ ਜੀਉ ॥੧॥
Ŧūʼn merā piṯā ṯūʼnhai merā māṯā.
Ŧūʼn merā banḏẖap ṯūʼn merā bẖarāṯā.
Ŧūʼn merā rākẖā sabẖnī thā-ī ṯā bẖa-o kehā kāṛā jī-o. ||1||
{SGGS–103}
In essence: Oh Ekankar! You are my father and you are my mother; you are my relative and my brother. Everywhere, you protect me; why any fear or anxiety should bother me?
When we use the pronoun “He” to describe Ekankar, it is only used as we use “the man” for the entire human race; otherwise it has nothing to do with any gender.
In the next verse, a “slok,” the eternity of Ekankar is expressed:
ਆਦਿ ਸਚੁ ਜੁਗਾਦਿ ਸਚੁ ॥
ਹੈ ਭੀ ਸਚੁ ਨਾਨਕ ਹੋਸੀ ਭੀ ਸਚੁ ॥੧॥
Āḏ sacẖ jugāḏ sacẖ.
Hai bẖī sacẖ Nānak hosī bẖī sacẖ. ||1||
In essence: Ekankar’s existence has been there in the primal beginning and throughout all ages. He is present now. Oh Nanak! Ekankar will be there in future as well.
Thus Ekankar, who is beyond enmity, fear, death, birth and to be self existent, is also eternal. Please also read in this regard on 199, SGGS; it is said:
ਆਦਿ ਜੁਗਾਦਿ ਪ੍ਰਗਟਿ ਪਰਤਾਪੁ ॥
Āḏ jugāḏ pargat parṯāp. {SGGS–199}
Means: In the beginning, and throughout all ages, Ekankar’s glory has been remained manifest.
In an introduction to Akalpurakh, the Guru has made it clear that we are creation of that Creator who is beyond, animosity, fear, death and birth and who is always very active; he leaves no doubt about His existence and His eternal power to control each and everything. Now the Guru starts pondering over the various methods people used to realize Him without understanding His eternal existence:
How To Be Worthy Of Him To Know Him:
Pauri/Stanza -1.
ਸੋਚੈ ਸੋਚਿ ਨ ਹੋਵਈ ਜੇ ਸੋਚੀ ਲਖ ਵਾਰ ॥
Socẖai socẖ na hova-ī je socẖī lakẖ vār.
In essence: There will be no perfect purity even after attempting numerous times.
In all religions, purity is regarded as a need to be part of it; going on pilgrimage and doing other rituals are considered necessary in the religions; the Guru is rejecting that outright. In Asa Dee Vaar, he writes in a detail how it is not possible to be pure by merely physical cleansing; it is the vice that defiles the soul; therefore, the purity cannot be attained by washing only the body or doing other physical rituals? Some interpreters take “soch” as thinking, but thinking has nothing to do with the context the Guru is addressing here. Also please read the following idea about cleaning and purifying the body in this context on 59, SGGS, Mehla 1, Raag Sri Raag:
ਕਥਨੈ ਕਹਣਿ ਨ ਛੁਟੀਐ ਨਾ ਪੜਿ ਪੁਸਤਕ ਭਾਰ ॥
ਕਾਇਆ ਸੋਚ ਨ ਪਾਈਐ ਬਿਨੁ ਹਰਿ ਭਗਤਿ ਪਿਆਰ ॥
ਨਾਨਕ ਨਾਮੁ ਨ ਵੀਸਰੈ ਮੇਲੇ ਗੁਰੁ ਕਰਤਾਰ ॥੮॥੯॥
Kathnai kahaṇ na cẖẖutī-ai nā paṛ pusṯak bẖār.
Kā-i-ā socẖ na pā-ī-ai bin har bẖagaṯ pi-ār.
Nānak nām na vīsrai mele gur karṯār. ||8||9||
{SGGS–59}
In essence: By merely talking and studying a load of books, one cannot be free from desires and hopes. Without devotional love for Har, by purifying the body (through rituals and ablutions/ ਕਾਇਆ ਸੋਚ), Har cannot be obtained. Oh Nanak! With the Creator, the Guru unites those persons, who do not forget His name ever.
OR
ਪਤਿ ਵਿਣੁ ਪੂਜਾ ਸਤ ਵਿਣੁ ਸੰਜਮੁ ਜਤ ਵਿਣੁ ਕਾਹੇ ਜਨੇਊ ॥
ਨਾਵਹੁ ਧੋਵਹੁ ਤਿਲਕੁ ਚੜਾਵਹੁ ਸੁਚ ਵਿਣੁ ਸੋਚ ਨ ਹੋਈ ॥੬॥
Paṯ viṇ pūjā saṯ viṇ sanjam jaṯ viṇ kāhe jane-ū.
Nāvhu ḏẖovahu ṯilak cẖaṛāvahu sucẖ viṇ socẖ na ho-ī. ||6||
In essence: What is the use of worshiping, or disciplining the mind without morality and ethics and what avail is sacred thread without Chastity? One may keep doing ablution and applying frontal marks, but without the internal purity, one’s cleaning (ਸੋਚ) doesn’t occur. (903, SGGS)
As we see in the next verses, he refers to “the quietness of the mind” after talking about the purity of the body:
ਚੁਪੈ ਚੁਪ ਨ ਹੋਵਈ ਜੇ ਲਾਇ ਰਹਾ ਲਿਵ ਤਾਰ ॥
Cẖupai cẖup na hova-ī je lā-e rahā liv ṯār.
Inner silence is not obtained by being silent in deep meditation.
An act of remaining quiet leads to thinking also. It was also a prevailed practice to remain silent, as muni/silent sages would not utter a word in effort to realize Ekankar. The Guru says that the practice of remaining silent and doing meditation will not bring any peace at heart, because if the mind is not counseled right way, it remains unruly. We know that a lot of people do meditation, but they remain in the Maya entanglements and fail to obtain stable peace.
ਭੁਖਿਆ ਭੁਖ ਨ ਉਤਰੀ ਜੇ ਬੰਨਾ ਪੁਰੀਆ ਭਾਰ ॥
Bẖukẖi-ā bẖukẖ na uṯrī je bannā purī-ā bẖār.
Internal appetite of the hungry is not satisfied even with immense things.
The Guru makes clear that internal appetite is beyond satisfaction even if one tries to have everything desired (some say it means by doing fasting, the appetite for Akalpurakh remains unsatisfied; however, “ਬੰਨਾ ਪੁਰੀਆ ਭਾਰ” cannot be interpreted other than “having immense”.). Some think that once everything is obtained then the mind will be satisfied and it can concentrate on Him without worrying about anything, but in such pursuits, there is no contentment; therefore, these practices are vain in the context of realizing Akalpurakh. Through this verse, the Guru also advises his followers to get rid of their greed, a factor that hinders contemplation of the Creator.
ਸਹਸ ਸਿਆਣਪਾ ਲਖ ਹੋਹਿ ਤ ਇਕ ਨ ਚਲੈ ਨਾਲਿ ॥
Sahas si-āṇpā lakẖ hohi ṯa ik na cẖalai nāl.
Even if one has immense intelligence, still it remains of no use, because it doesn’t go along in the end.
Some people think that they are super intelligent and their intellect can be helpful in realizing Ekankar, but it is not true, because intellect alone cannot be used to realize Ekankar. Actually the feelings of being intelligent boost one’s conceit, which becomes an impossible bar to realize Ekankar.
Now the Guru puts up a question in this context to answer it by making it clear what is the right way to be worthy of him and to get rid of the falsehood that becomes a wall between the Creator and us:
ਕਿਵ ਸਚਿਆਰਾ ਹੋਈਐ ਕਿਵ ਕੂੜੈ ਤੁਟੈ ਪਾਲਿ ॥
Kiv sacẖi-ārā ho-ī-ai kiv kūrhai ṯutai pāl.
How can one be truthful and how can the veil of falsehood be torn away?
If by purifying one’s body, getting in deep meditation and going in a pursuit of satisfaction, Akalpurakh cannot be realized, then what is the way out to realize Him? How is it possible to be truthful in His consideration? Answer comes in the following verse:
ਹੁਕਮਿ ਰਜਾਈ ਚਲਣਾ ਨਾਨਕ ਲਿਖਿਆ ਨਾਲਿ ॥੧॥
Hukam rajā-ī cẖalṇā Nānak likẖi-ā nāl. ||1||
Oh Nanak! We should obey the preordained ordinance.
To be truthful is to remain in harmony with Ekankar’s ordinance. It means to understand His ordinance and to remain aligned to His creation; by doing so, one becomes able to bear with the outcome of circumstances. In other words, take everything as it comes without any complain. There is no need of doing rituals and playing intellectual games but to live in His ordinance; this is the essence to tear down the wall of illusions and falsehood. The concept of His “Hukam/ordinance/will” is very wide. A journey from a seed to a plant and its final decaying and mixing with the earth eventually is a part of His ordinance. The law of gravity and other natural laws are also parts of His ordinance. The Guru is simply trying to define His ordinance while accepting that actually His ordinance cannot be explained in its entirety:
His Ordinance:
In the next Stanza, the Guru starts defining Ekankar’s ordinance so that first it could be understood though it is hard to understand:
Pauri/Stanza–2
ਹੁਕਮੀ ਹੋਵਨਿ ਆਕਾਰ ਹੁਕਮੁ ਨ ਕਹਿਆ ਜਾਈ ॥
Hukmī hovan ākār hukam na kahi-ā jā-ī.
As per Ekankar’s ordinance, the forms are created, but the ordinance cannot be expressed.
It is a subtle thought, but it is understood only if one learns how to live by getting rid of one’s self-conceit and abandoning one’s own selfish persuasions.
ਹੁਕਮੀ ਹੋਵਨਿ ਜੀਅ ਹੁਕਮਿ ਮਿਲੈ ਵਡਿਆਈ ॥
Hukmī hovan jī-a hukam milai vadi-ā-ī.
As per the ordinance, the lives exist and through the ordinance, the glory is attained.
ਹੁਕਮੀ ਉਤਮੁ ਨੀਚੁ ਹੁਕਮਿ ਲਿਖਿ ਦੁਖ ਸੁਖ ਪਾਈਅਹਿ ॥
Hukmī uṯam nīcẖ hukam likẖ ḏukẖ sukẖ pā-ī-ah.
To be low or high is because of the ordinance, and because of the ordinance, pain and comforts are obtained.
Some kind of natural rules are in force; because of them, actions bring reactions. There is no discrimination done against any life as per these rules. To understand it, let us take an example:
If we hit a stone hard with our hands, we are bound to get hurt. A storm comes and keeps destroying everything in its way, but as its force subsides, it starts dying. In other words, in the ordinance, it comes into existence, and in the ordinance, it dies.
ਇਕਨਾ ਹੁਕਮੀ ਬਖਸੀਸ ਇਕਿ ਹੁਕਮੀ ਸਦਾ ਭਵਾਈਅਹਿ ॥
Iknā hukmī bakẖsīs ik hukmī saḏā bẖavā-ī-ah.
Some people, by the ordinance, are blessed and others are kept in coming and going forever.
Nothing is beyond the ordinance. The Guru explains that some people are blessed (they get imbued with Akalpurakh), but also, as per Akalpurakh’s “will”, there are others, who never get the blessings, and they are made wander forever.
ਹੁਕਮੈ ਅੰਦਰਿ ਸਭੁ ਕੋ ਬਾਹਰਿ ਹੁਕਮ ਨ ਕੋਇ ॥
Hukmai anḏar sabẖ ko bāhar hukam na ko-e.
Everyone is subject to the ordinance and there is no one beyond it.
The Guru declares that all, regardless who they are/what they are, fall under the domain of His ordinance; therefore, nothing is done or happened beyond the ordinance. Here “Karta Purakh” is made clear, He is the Doer and He is an active force in His all creation; there are no three entities (Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva) with special jobs or a special mother’s executive power but solely Ekankar, whose ordinance is in force.
ਨਾਨਕ ਹੁਕਮੈ ਜੇ ਬੁਝੈ ਤ ਹਉਮੈ ਕਹੈ ਨ ਕੋਇ ॥੨॥
Nānak hukmai je bujẖai ṯa ha-umai kahai na ko-e. ||2||
Oh Nanak! A person who understands His ordinance does not speak in conceit.
In the above verse, the stress is given on understanding the domain of Ekankar’s “will”. Be advised, it doesn’t mean if Mr. A is going to attack Mr. B and Mr. B should let Mr. A kill him. As Ekankar is present in a good person, He is also present in a bad person; therefore, in case of physical attack, self-defense must be used to negate the bad actions. If a weak person is attacked, the stronger persons around him or her should do all efforts to stop the attacker. The Khalsa was created in the same context; it was aligned to Ekankar’s ordinance. Self-conceit or self-centered preferences cannot be preferred to Ekankar’s ordinance. By understanding the ordinance, self-conceit and other negatives forces lose their importance, and then one realizes that what is attained is only because of Ekankar’s grace; therefore, one starts giving all credit to the Creator.
The Guru has made it clear that behind everything is the active Creator; everything belongs to Him. The mortals should live by believing in this fact and they should eradicate the feeling of “I” that triggers conceit. Take the life as it comes by; fears of any kind of loss should not affect the mind to go crazy. Embrace that if profits are materialized, losses can also occur. Both ways, it is His ordinance with blessings, because we also gain by learning from our mistakes and losses. Once one thinks that everything occurs according to the blessing of the Creator, one stops boasting or worrying.
Akalpurakh has thrown the lives like a dice; how the dice settles down gets weighed accordingly. In the same manner, the way we play determines the layout of our destiny. One can become well established with fraud, stealing, suppression and corruption, but according to the Guru, it is meaningless to have all that if His blessings are not showered. Only through His blessings, we can actually realize Him. Once He is realized, the Maya pursuits end; therefore, the urge of suppressing others, looting others, discriminating and taking advantage of others ceases to exist. Otherwise, all the negative acts stated above will take the mortals far away from Him. How they die minute by minute is a fruit of their greed and conceit; thus they live in bonds and die in them.
CONTINUES…….
Wishes
Gurdeep Singh
