ānandu ānandu sabhu ko kahai ānandu gurū te jāṇiā.
jāṇiā ānandu sadā gur te kripā kare piāriā.
kari kirpā kilvikh kaṭe giān anjanu sāriā.
andarahu jin kā mohu tuṭā tin kā sabadu sacai savāriā.
kahai nānaku ehu anandu hai ānandu gur te jāṇiā.7.
-Guru Granth Sahib 917
This pauri (stanza) describes the true and enteral bliss that can only be realized through the Wisdom (Guru) which eradicates vices, renounces material attachment, and cleanses the mind. While many claim to have attained bliss, rare are those who experience it.
Commentary
Literal Translation
Interpretive Transcreation
Poetical Dimension
Calligraphy
In the sixth pauri, the sixth step of the ladder, Guru Amardas revealed that the eternal connection empowers the once helpless body to be receptive to artistry and mastery. Moving on to the seventh pauri, the seventh step of the ladder, Guru Amardas says everyone says this is “bliss,” “bliss,” but bliss can be known through the Wisdom-Guru. We pause. We recall that the joy, the bliss Guru Amardas references, is the perpetual happiness, the eternal joy, the eternal bliss. This state is disconnected from sensory preferences—what pleases our ears, sight, or taste—transcending the limits of the five senses and the mortal realm. This elevated bliss is accessible only to those embodying Wisdom, becoming Wisdom itself. A question surfaces: How can we realize and experience this profound bliss? The answer emerges: Bliss is experienced when the grace of the beloved Wisdom is being received. Upon receiving and experiencing this grace, Wisdom imparts the profound wisdom akin to applying the eyeliner of intrinsic knowledge. This divine Wisdom eradicates the most significant transgressions that shroud our being. The attachment to worldly pursuits crumbles within while the eternal Sabad (the hymn-like stanza that exemplifies the word-sound of the Infinite Wisdom) adorns, enhancing the body’s beauty. Guru Amardas concludes this ladder step with the declaration this is bliss; this bliss can be known through the Wisdom-Guru.
We reflect upon the repetition of the term "anand"—joy, happiness, bliss—occurring five times in this quintet. Its significance resonates. Throughout history, individuals from diverse spiritual and non-spiritual backgrounds have yearned for bliss. Universities now offer courses on happiness, and entire industries exist to provide tools for its attainment. The pursuit of joy seems universal. Everyone seems to be selling or peddling happiness and joy. Guru Amardas recognizes this collective yearning and underscores that the bliss is graspable solely through the Wisdom-Guru. We pause. Is the happiness being sold and pursued truly eternal? Has the mastery and artistry elucidated in the fifth step of this ladder permeated the fragile body sufficiently to bestow the path to real bliss? How can a body unfamiliar with genuine bliss provide the means to attain it? How can a body entangled in uncertainties and transgressions offer insight into true bliss? How can a body searching for knowledge and methodologies grasp the essence of true bliss? The body might facilitate a specific type of joy, but it is ill-equipped to convey eternal, timeless bliss. The eternal bliss can only be imparted by the Wisdom itself and by the one who has risen above doubts and transgressions and embodies that beloved Wisdom and is Wisdom itself. The Wisdom teaches; the Wisdom guides. The question persists: How can we encounter this bliss? Bliss is revealed when the beloved Wisdom graces us—when we are receiving the Wisdom. What does this "grace" signify? How does it manifest? Grace manifests as our doubts and transgressions subside. When we embody, follow, and revere the Wisdom. It is the Wisdom that quells our doubts and transgressions. The arrival of grace signifies the dissolution of our most profound darkness, our most significant transgressions. Our minds imbibe wisdom, undergoing a metamorphosis. Knowledge enters and beautifies us. The shackles of inner attachment to worldly matters disintegrate. Their power to sway or govern us weakens. How does this profound transformation unfold? Through the Sabad. As the grip of attachment weakens, the eternal Sabad adorns and beautifies us. This is the magnificence of the Wisdom. This is the bliss that Guru Amardas reveals—a bliss transcending mundane metrics, indexes, and anecdotes. Realization dawns that what the world labels joy is not “the joy.” It is not eternal; it is temporary. If this joy, this bliss, doesn’t dispel doubts and transgressions or sever the attachment to worldly matters, how can it epitomize "the bliss"?
We may ask ourselves: Does material success, fulfilling relationships, monetary gains, or influential status constitute our concept of joy? Yet, what do these pursuits truly generate within us? Often, tensions and ceaseless turmoil. Alternatively, does our notion of joy center on enhancing the quality of life, nurturing kindness, elevating consciousness, and fostering inner love? If the latter resonates, then the pivotal acknowledgment surfaces—true bliss stems from the grace of the Wisdom. This recognition is the first step toward embracing that grace. Are we brave enough to embark on this transformative journey of true bliss?
We reflect upon the repetition of the term "anand"—joy, happiness, bliss—occurring five times in this quintet. Its significance resonates. Throughout history, individuals from diverse spiritual and non-spiritual backgrounds have yearned for bliss. Universities now offer courses on happiness, and entire industries exist to provide tools for its attainment. The pursuit of joy seems universal. Everyone seems to be selling or peddling happiness and joy. Guru Amardas recognizes this collective yearning and underscores that the bliss is graspable solely through the Wisdom-Guru. We pause. Is the happiness being sold and pursued truly eternal? Has the mastery and artistry elucidated in the fifth step of this ladder permeated the fragile body sufficiently to bestow the path to real bliss? How can a body unfamiliar with genuine bliss provide the means to attain it? How can a body entangled in uncertainties and transgressions offer insight into true bliss? How can a body searching for knowledge and methodologies grasp the essence of true bliss? The body might facilitate a specific type of joy, but it is ill-equipped to convey eternal, timeless bliss. The eternal bliss can only be imparted by the Wisdom itself and by the one who has risen above doubts and transgressions and embodies that beloved Wisdom and is Wisdom itself. The Wisdom teaches; the Wisdom guides. The question persists: How can we encounter this bliss? Bliss is revealed when the beloved Wisdom graces us—when we are receiving the Wisdom. What does this "grace" signify? How does it manifest? Grace manifests as our doubts and transgressions subside. When we embody, follow, and revere the Wisdom. It is the Wisdom that quells our doubts and transgressions. The arrival of grace signifies the dissolution of our most profound darkness, our most significant transgressions. Our minds imbibe wisdom, undergoing a metamorphosis. Knowledge enters and beautifies us. The shackles of inner attachment to worldly matters disintegrate. Their power to sway or govern us weakens. How does this profound transformation unfold? Through the Sabad. As the grip of attachment weakens, the eternal Sabad adorns and beautifies us. This is the magnificence of the Wisdom. This is the bliss that Guru Amardas reveals—a bliss transcending mundane metrics, indexes, and anecdotes. Realization dawns that what the world labels joy is not “the joy.” It is not eternal; it is temporary. If this joy, this bliss, doesn’t dispel doubts and transgressions or sever the attachment to worldly matters, how can it epitomize "the bliss"?
We may ask ourselves: Does material success, fulfilling relationships, monetary gains, or influential status constitute our concept of joy? Yet, what do these pursuits truly generate within us? Often, tensions and ceaseless turmoil. Alternatively, does our notion of joy center on enhancing the quality of life, nurturing kindness, elevating consciousness, and fostering inner love? If the latter resonates, then the pivotal acknowledgment surfaces—true bliss stems from the grace of the Wisdom. This recognition is the first step toward embracing that grace. Are we brave enough to embark on this transformative journey of true bliss?
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