Continues from the last month…
After describing a short play about how people get everything and how the Creator gives them, the Guru states that the Creator has no concern about giving or the claims made by His subjects, because He is above human mentality. Also the Guru expresses how different people remember the Creator, but then he declares that actually the infinite Creator cannot be expressed.
Pauri/Stanza-3
ਗਾਵੈ ਕੋ ਤਾਣੁ ਹੋਵੈ ਕਿਸੈ ਤਾਣੁ ॥
Gāvai ko ṯāṇ hovai kisai ṯāṇ.
About His immense power, only those can sing, who have the power to sing.
ਗਾਵੈ ਕੋ ਦਾਤਿ ਜਾਣੈ ਨੀਸਾਣੁ ॥
Gāvai ko ḏāṯ jāṇai nīsāṇ.
Some people praise Him thinking about His given gifts and deeming them as His given sign or insignia.
ਗਾਵੈ ਕੋ ਗੁਣ ਵਡਿਆਈਆ ਚਾਰ ॥
Gāvai ko guṇ vaḏi-ā-ī-ā cẖār.
Some people sing of His virtues and greatness.
The Guru keeps telling that Ekankar’s greatness and virtues are beyond praise though some people try to word them. Taking His gifts as a token of love creates love for Him in one’s heart. His gifts are not only good things, as per the worldly look; they can also be negative like a loss or pain. A person who loves the Creator by understanding His ordinance takes good and bad thing alike by saying “ਏਹਿ ਭਿ ਦਾਤਿ ਤੇਰੀ ਦਾਤਾਰ ॥ Ėhi bẖė ḏāṯ ṯerī ḏāṯār. {SGGS-5} “this is also your gift, oh Bestowing Creator!”
ਗਾਵੈ ਕੋ ਵਿਦਿਆ ਵਿਖਮੁ ਵੀਚਾਰੁ ॥
Gāvai ko viḏi-ā vikẖam vīcẖār.
Some people sing His praises by attaining difficult knowledge about the Creator.
This verse is all about those scholars, who study tough philosophies about the Creator and explain to others about the Creator.
ਗਾਵੈ ਕੋ ਸਾਜਿ ਕਰੇ ਤਨੁ ਖੇਹ ॥
Gāvai ko sāj kare ṯan kẖeh.
Some people sing that He fashions the creation and again destroys it.
ਗਾਵੈ ਕੋ ਜੀਅ ਲੈ ਫਿਰਿ ਦੇਹ ॥
Gāvai ko jī-a lai fir ḏeh.
Some people sing that the Creator takes life away and then again restores it.
The above idea is stressed on praising His limitless amazing powers.
ਗਾਵੈ ਕੋ ਜਾਪੈ ਦਿਸੈ ਦੂਰਿ ॥
Gāvai ko jāpai ḏisai ḏūr.
Some people sing thinking Him very far away.
Some people praise Him thinking Akalpurakh is very far away (or in the Sky); this hint is at those views according to which the Creator is separate from His Creation contrary to the Sikhi, which believes that the Creator is very much present in the Creation as it is His part.
ਗਾਵੈ ਕੋ ਵੇਖੈ ਹਾਦਰਾ ਹਦੂਰਿ ॥
Gāvai ko vekẖai hāḏrā haḏūr.
Some people sing His praises thinking Him ever-present.
Some people sing His praises by feeling His presence all over; the hint is toward Bhagatas and enlightened ones, who being in love with Him see Him present in His creation.
ਕਥਨਾ ਕਥੀ ਨ ਆਵੈ ਤੋਟਿ ॥
Kathnā kathī na āvai ṯot.
There is no end to the description of His ordinance though;
ਕਥਿ ਕਥਿ ਕਥੀ ਕੋਟੀ ਕੋਟਿ ਕੋਟਿ ॥
Kath kath kathī kotī kot kot.
millions of people have tried to describe Him and to praise Him.
ਦੇਦਾ ਦੇ ਲੈਦੇ ਥਕਿ ਪਾਹਿ ॥
Ḏeḏā ḏe laiḏe thak pāhi.
The Great giver keeps giving, while those, who are on the receiving end, grow weary of receiving His gifts.
He, the giver, keeps giving, but those who keep receiving gifts from Him get exhausted of receiving. In simple words, He gives in abundance. The Guru suggests that nothing can be given to Him, because He is the real giver. (There is only one Giver, ਏਕੁ ਦਾਤਾਰੁ ਸਗਲ ਹੈ ਜਾਚਿਕ ਦੂਸਰ ਕੈ ਪਹਿ ਜਾਵਉ ॥੧॥ Ėk ḏāṯār sagal hai jācẖik ḏūsar kai pėh jāva-o. ||1|| There is only one, who gives and it is Akalpurakh; all the others are beggars; why should I go to other one? On 401, SGGS, M-5). So what can we give to Him? Nothing, because what we give is His; therefore, if we want to give something to Him, it is our sincere love. The Guru is advising us not to indulge in “offerings and rituals.”
ਜੁਗਾ ਜੁਗੰਤਰਿ ਖਾਹੀ ਖਾਹਿ ॥
Jugā juganṯar kẖāhī kẖāhi.
Throughout all ages, the consumers have been consuming Ekankar’s given gifts.
His gifts have been inexhaustible from the beginning, and they will be there in the future as well. The mortals should realize about Ekankar’s endless giving nature and stop feeling proud of what they do like charities and other such acts. Undertone advice is to eliminate self-conceit in the concept of charities.
ਹੁਕਮੀ ਹੁਕਮੁ ਚਲਾਏ ਰਾਹੁ ॥
Hukmī hukam cẖalā-e rāhu.
Under His ordinance, the world-play goes on.
His ordinance runs this world and through it, He keeps it going on. One must understand that the Guru is revealing how known or unknown worlds are in existence and how they move on under His perfect law.
ਨਾਨਕ ਵਿਗਸੈ ਵੇਪਰਵਾਹੁ ॥੩॥
Nānak vigsai veparvāhu. ||3||
Oh Nanak! Being carefree and untroubled, Akalpurakh amuses Himself.
He feels no exhaustion ever because of the big world He runs; instead, it is His amusement. All the discussions about the Creator cannot be complete, because He is infinite. One should praise Him as much as one can instead of advocating false claims like if we do several paths (scripture-reading), we can please the Creator. Thus the Guru exposes the false claims established by religious exploiters over centuries. In the next stanza, he will tell us what is the best way to communicate with Him, which needs no offerings or rituals:
As He Is All Powerful, How To Converse With Him?
In the next stanza, the Guru tells about how many kinds of people adhered to their beliefs praise the Creator; his main purpose of telling this is that there are people who praise Him, but their opinions about Him are different; among those people, there are those who see Him present all over; nonetheless, they just cannot express Him, because He is infinite. Most important thing is to remember that He is the Giver and rest of all are only at receiving end including those whom many people worship, and He amuses Himself being carefree and trouble free by setting up all the worldly ways:
Pauri/Stanza-4
ਸਾਚਾ ਸਾਹਿਬੁ ਸਾਚੁ ਨਾਇ ਭਾਖਿਆ ਭਾਉ ਅਪਾਰੁ ॥
Sācẖā sāhib sācẖ nā-e bẖākẖi-ā bẖā-o apār.
Eternal is the Master and so is His name; love is the language of Akalpurakh, who is infinite.
Above is given the direct interpretation of “Satnaam ਸਤਿਨਾਮੁ”. Language of communication with the infinite One is “love”. Not with rituals or religious claims, but through love, one can converse with Him. Here the Guru has made clear that connecting to Him, we need to fall in love with Him; according to him, no other means of conversing with Akalpurakh work. To generate love attitude toward Him will help to communicate with Him. Obviously, Sikhi promotes His love unlike other faiths that suggest fasting, offering and many more rituals. In the following, the Guru will define the true offering (His praise in love).
ਆਖਹਿ ਮੰਗਹਿ ਦੇਹਿ ਦੇਹਿ ਦਾਤਿ ਕਰੇ ਦਾਤਾਰੁ ॥
Ākẖahi mangahi ḏehi ḏehi ḏāṯ kare ḏāṯār.
People ask and beg from the Master “”Give to us, give to us””, and He, the giver, gives them.
ਫੇਰਿ ਕਿ ਅਗੈ ਰਖੀਐ ਜਿਤੁ ਦਿਸੈ ਦਰਬਾਰੁ ॥
Fer kė agai rakẖī-ai jiṯ ḏisai ḏarbār.
Then, what offering can we place before Him to see the Court (His). In other words, how can He be realized or seen?
Here through a question, the Guru gives his answer. The question is about how to see Him and what can be done to achieve that goal.
ਮੁਹੌ ਕਿ ਬੋਲਣੁ ਬੋਲੀਐ ਜਿਤੁ ਸੁਣਿ ਧਰੇ ਪਿਆਰੁ ॥
Muhou kė bolaṇ bolī-ai jiṯ suṇ ḏẖare pi-ār.
What words can we speak to evoke His Love?
What should we say by hearing which He bestows His grace/love on us? Should we call Him loudly? Should be utter some conditioned mantras? The Guru comes with a clear answer in the following verse:
ਅੰਮ੍ਰਿਤ ਵੇਲਾ ਸਚੁ ਨਾਉ ਵਡਿਆਈ ਵੀਚਾਰੁ ॥
Amriṯ velā sacẖ nā-o vadi-ā-ī vīcẖār.
In the Amrit Vaylaa, (the ambrosial hours before dawn), contemplate Akalpurakh’s name and His glorious greatness.
To evoke His love, in the early wee hours, His name and virtues should be reflected on. Why only wee hours are recommended? As we wake up, our fresh minds need to be infused with His memory before walking into the world of Maya, because His memory can keep us on a virtuous path. “Amrit Vela” changes for those, who work during night. Literally it hints at a time when we wake up after a good sleep; after that sound sleep, our minds are not involved in anything, and if we are filled with Akalpurakh’s memories and His virtues, we can deal with the Maya inflicted world without getting affected by it.
ਕਰਮੀ ਆਵੈ ਕਪੜਾ ਨਦਰੀ ਮੋਖੁ ਦੁਆਰੁ ॥
Karmī āvai kapṛā naḏrī mokẖ ḏu-ār.
By His grace, the robe of His praise is obtained; by His grace, the gate of liberation is found.
With His blessings, one involves in His praise and with His grace, one is liberated from the Maya influences. In the Gurbani, liberation is defined to go above the Maya influences. After death, liberation is not actually advocated as some say. It is achieved being-alive. The word Karmee/ ਕਰਮੀ should not be taken as “luck” or Karma widely known as the fruit of the actions of previous lives in Hindu circles. Getting liberated while alive is advocated; please read the following verses on 275, SGGS:
ਪ੍ਰਭ ਕੀ ਆਗਿਆ ਆਤਮ ਹਿਤਾਵੈ ॥ ਜੀਵਨ ਮੁਕਤਿ ਸੋਊ ਕਹਾਵੈ ॥
Parabẖ kī āgi-ā āṯam hiṯāvai. Jīvan mukaṯ so-ū kahāvai. {SGGS–275}
In essence: One who’s heart loves Prabh’s ordinance is said to be the one having salvation while alive.
Next verse continues:
ਨਾਨਕ ਏਵੈ ਜਾਣੀਐ ਸਭੁ ਆਪੇ ਸਚਿਆਰੁ ॥੪॥
Nānak evai jāṇī-ai sabẖ āpe sacẖiār. ||4||
Oh Nanak! This is the way Ekankar, who is All Pervading, is known.
Through praising Ekankar’s name, He is realized. All other efforts of doing charities, physical austerities, or rituals and so on do not help in realizing Him. We must remember that He is the only giver; therefore, we should not claim that we give anything to anyone. Only doing efforts to remain in harmony with His “will” can take us to happiness that is also His gift. We are also advised that to connect with Him, we need to fall in love with Him and praise Him. Doing so will trigger His blessings.
CONTINUES…….
Wishes
Gurdeep Singh
