soraṭhi mahalā 1.
jisu jalnidhi kāraṇi tum jagi āe so ammritu gur pāhī jīu.
choḍahu vesu bhekh caturāī dubidhā ihu phalu nāhī jīu.1.
man re thiru rahu matu kat jāhī jīu.
bāhari ḍhūḍhat bahutu dukhu pāvahi ghari ammritu ghaṭ māhī jīu. rahāu.
avguṇ choḍi guṇā kaü dhāvahu kari avguṇ pachutāhī jīu.
sar apsar kī sār na jāṇahi phiri phiri kīc buḍāhī jīu.2.
antari mailu lobh bahu jhūṭhe bāhari nāvahu kāhī jīu.
nirmal nāmu japahu sad gurmukhi antar kī gati tāhī jīu.3.
parhari lobhu nindā kūṛu tiāgahu sacu gur bacnī phalu pāhī jīu.
jiu bhāvai tiu rākhahu hari jīu jan nānak sabadi salāhī jīu.4.9.
-Guru Granth Sahib 598
Guru Nanak Sahib, while depicting the vices of self-centered behavior, advises the seeker is encouraged to adopt Wisdom (Guru) oriented behavior. While staying content in the will of IkOankar (the Divine), a supplication has been made before IkOankar for the gift of Nam.
Commentary
Literal Translation
Interpretive Transcreation
Poetical Dimension
Calligraphy
Sorath is a rag (musical mode) that evokes a tone of seriousness, love, separation, longing, and detachment. Every line in this composition ends with jiu, evoking a level of love and care needed when the message and instruction are difficult. We have interpreted this term in the commentary as ‘dearest,’ as the Guru shows us how to speak to the mind with endearment, even as this composition is about breaking out of our pretenses, dichotomies, and disharmonies.
Guru Nanak says, O mind! Be steady. Do not go anywhere, dearest! You will find immense suffering searching outside. Amrit is in the home, in the heart, dearest!
The Guru speaks to the mind with great care and asks it to become steady and stable within. The mind goes to many places, wandering everywhere, fixated on all sorts of things, even within a given day. When we are in pain, our minds wander even more, looking outward for something to relieve us. The Guru reminds us that this outward search is fruitless and will only cause more pain. Instead, we ought to know that the Amrit (immortalizing nectar) of Nam or Identification with IkOankar (One Universal Integrative Force, 1Force, the One) can be found within the home of the body, within the heart itself. We are being urged to look within ourselves to discover this kind of Amrit. This is not a physical Amrit, but one that exists within all of us, if only we would bring it out.
O mind! Be steady. Do not go anywhere, dearest! You will find immense suffering searching outside. Amrit is in the home, in the heart, dearest! The Guru says, the treasure of water for which we have come into the world — the nectar of Identification — that nectar is with the Wisdom. This is the reason we have come into the world, to receive this treasure of water, this amrit, this immortal elixir, this thing which sustains us. It can only be found and tasted through the Wisdom. It is through the Wisdom that we experience Identification. What can we do? The Guru urges us to renounce our false garbs and cleverness — to leave our previous schools of thought, our previous disciplines and practices and rituals, and our outward garbs that are a part of these disciplines and practices and schools of thought. This is both an internal and external renunciation. This fruit of Identification cannot be received in duality, in external shows of piety and cleverness meant to deceive the world.
O mind! Be steady. Do not go anywhere, dearest! You will find immense suffering searching outside. Amrit is in the home, in the heart, dearest! The Guru tells us that once we are able to give up our dichotomies and cleverness and previous schools of thought, we will be able to adopt the virtues by getting rid of non-virtues within us. If we do not get rid of non-virtues, we will only find regret. Even if we have committed non-virtuous acts, the Guru is asking us to work to resolve those things with discipline. When we are in the condition of non-virtues and regret, we cannot even seem to figure out what is good or bad, what is virtuous and not virtuous, and we continue to drown in the mud and muck of it all, falling into the trap of attachment again and again. Even if we have adopted these schools of thought, disciplines, and garbs, we are still caught up in this non-virtue that feeds on itself, so what good is any of it? We ought to practice cultivating virtues within. We ought to practice cultivating an awareness of what is virtuous and what is not to get out of this continuous cycle of falling prey to our non-virtues and behaving in unvirtuous ways. This is not as simple as some existing paradigms of what is sinful and what is not, what is purifying and what is polluting. This is something deeper.
O mind! Be steady. Do not go anywhere, dearest! You will find immense suffering searching outside. Amrit is in the home, in the heart, dearest! The Guru says, O false mind! There is filth and greed and lies within, but we are only trying to wash them off from the outside at these pilgrimage centers. Greed is all-encompassing. We have incredible filth of attachment to the material and the temporary within us. We have emphasized and focused on the externalization of things rather than the internal cleansing. Why wash from the outside when the filth is internal? Instead, what is needed is the recitation and remembrance of the filth-free Nam or Identification with IkOankar. This ought to be constant. Through this constant remembrance and becoming Wisdom-oriented, we can figure out how to become filth-free and free within ourselves.
O mind! Be steady. Do not go anywhere, dearest! You will find immense suffering searching outside. Amrit is in the home, in the heart, dearest! The Guru urges us to go far away from greed and forsake slander and lies. Through this change in behavior and thought, we will receive the true fruit of Nam through the teachings of the Wisdom. We will find the eternal success we are looking for, the way to make these lives fruitful. The Guru offers a supplication, saying O IkOankar, O all-pervasive One! Keep me content in whatever Your will is. Grace me so that my mind always praises You through the word of Wisdom. It is important to note that the same address of jiu, or dearest, is used to refer to IkOankar as well as to our own minds. We are being equated with the dearness of the One at that level because we have the potential to cleanse ourselves within if we can get rid of our cleverness and dichotomies. The Guru shows us how to live in a relationship with IkOankar and the Will — let us be kept in the way that pleases IkOankar. Let us live in the way that IkOankar wants us to live. We are happy to live in praise of the Word-Sound, of Wisdom. This is the supplication or request when we have gone through initiation ceremonies.
In the Sikh tradition, the Guru Granth Sahib describes amrit, the immortal nectar, as Nam, or Identification with IkOankar. This Nam is received through the Wisdom. History tells us that from the time of Guru Nanak to the time of Guru Gobind Singh, amrit was given by the Guru personality. In 1699, Guru Gobind Singh institutionalized the initiation ceremony, Khande-ki-Pahul (literally impactful-water of double-edged sword). Taking Khande-ki-Pahul is to be initiated into a particular lifestyle where new learnings begin. Those who want immortality must identify with the Immortal — Nam. Lovers and warriors were and are synthesized into the Order of the Khalsa by the initiation ceremony of the Double-edged sword. Initiation is not an experience. Initiation is not the end goal; it is the first step. It is not just a physical ceremony. Guru Nanak elaborates on this kind of initiation through Nam that predates the amrit or Khande-ki-Pahul initiation ceremony. The Guru shows us that the mind needs to be worked upon to become steady. In order to create a state of steadfastness such that the mind does not go here and there, wandering and looking outside, such that we begin to look for the nectar of Nam within rather than without. The Guru urges us to reflect on what treasure we seek, what treasure of water, and what nectar we want to taste. If we want to taste the nectar of Identification through the Wisdom, we must get rid of our garbs, dualities, and cleverness. The mind ought to reflect on what is needed to get rid of non-virtues such that our regrets stop. We ought to pursue the virtues; we ought to work toward cultivating them within because, without them, we will continue to drown. We ought to learn to get rid of our internal filth of greed and lies. We can do this through the recitation of the Nam, Remembrance, and Identification. This is what brings freedom and movement. We ought to get rid of slander and greed and understand that it is through the eternal Wisdom that we receive the fruit of Nam. Ultimately, all grace is with the One, who we ask to keep us how the One wants us kept, to ask for the grace to be in remembrance and praise, to adopt and emulate the virtues. All of this training and effort is toward figuring out how to praise the Word of Wisdom. This is the ultimate deed. Are we ready to be initiated? Will we walk this path of addressing our own pretenses and dichotomies? Will we reflect and speak to our minds with love? Will we begin to make an effort toward praising the Word of Wisdom?
Guru Nanak says, O mind! Be steady. Do not go anywhere, dearest! You will find immense suffering searching outside. Amrit is in the home, in the heart, dearest!
The Guru speaks to the mind with great care and asks it to become steady and stable within. The mind goes to many places, wandering everywhere, fixated on all sorts of things, even within a given day. When we are in pain, our minds wander even more, looking outward for something to relieve us. The Guru reminds us that this outward search is fruitless and will only cause more pain. Instead, we ought to know that the Amrit (immortalizing nectar) of Nam or Identification with IkOankar (One Universal Integrative Force, 1Force, the One) can be found within the home of the body, within the heart itself. We are being urged to look within ourselves to discover this kind of Amrit. This is not a physical Amrit, but one that exists within all of us, if only we would bring it out.
O mind! Be steady. Do not go anywhere, dearest! You will find immense suffering searching outside. Amrit is in the home, in the heart, dearest! The Guru says, the treasure of water for which we have come into the world — the nectar of Identification — that nectar is with the Wisdom. This is the reason we have come into the world, to receive this treasure of water, this amrit, this immortal elixir, this thing which sustains us. It can only be found and tasted through the Wisdom. It is through the Wisdom that we experience Identification. What can we do? The Guru urges us to renounce our false garbs and cleverness — to leave our previous schools of thought, our previous disciplines and practices and rituals, and our outward garbs that are a part of these disciplines and practices and schools of thought. This is both an internal and external renunciation. This fruit of Identification cannot be received in duality, in external shows of piety and cleverness meant to deceive the world.
O mind! Be steady. Do not go anywhere, dearest! You will find immense suffering searching outside. Amrit is in the home, in the heart, dearest! The Guru tells us that once we are able to give up our dichotomies and cleverness and previous schools of thought, we will be able to adopt the virtues by getting rid of non-virtues within us. If we do not get rid of non-virtues, we will only find regret. Even if we have committed non-virtuous acts, the Guru is asking us to work to resolve those things with discipline. When we are in the condition of non-virtues and regret, we cannot even seem to figure out what is good or bad, what is virtuous and not virtuous, and we continue to drown in the mud and muck of it all, falling into the trap of attachment again and again. Even if we have adopted these schools of thought, disciplines, and garbs, we are still caught up in this non-virtue that feeds on itself, so what good is any of it? We ought to practice cultivating virtues within. We ought to practice cultivating an awareness of what is virtuous and what is not to get out of this continuous cycle of falling prey to our non-virtues and behaving in unvirtuous ways. This is not as simple as some existing paradigms of what is sinful and what is not, what is purifying and what is polluting. This is something deeper.
O mind! Be steady. Do not go anywhere, dearest! You will find immense suffering searching outside. Amrit is in the home, in the heart, dearest! The Guru says, O false mind! There is filth and greed and lies within, but we are only trying to wash them off from the outside at these pilgrimage centers. Greed is all-encompassing. We have incredible filth of attachment to the material and the temporary within us. We have emphasized and focused on the externalization of things rather than the internal cleansing. Why wash from the outside when the filth is internal? Instead, what is needed is the recitation and remembrance of the filth-free Nam or Identification with IkOankar. This ought to be constant. Through this constant remembrance and becoming Wisdom-oriented, we can figure out how to become filth-free and free within ourselves.
O mind! Be steady. Do not go anywhere, dearest! You will find immense suffering searching outside. Amrit is in the home, in the heart, dearest! The Guru urges us to go far away from greed and forsake slander and lies. Through this change in behavior and thought, we will receive the true fruit of Nam through the teachings of the Wisdom. We will find the eternal success we are looking for, the way to make these lives fruitful. The Guru offers a supplication, saying O IkOankar, O all-pervasive One! Keep me content in whatever Your will is. Grace me so that my mind always praises You through the word of Wisdom. It is important to note that the same address of jiu, or dearest, is used to refer to IkOankar as well as to our own minds. We are being equated with the dearness of the One at that level because we have the potential to cleanse ourselves within if we can get rid of our cleverness and dichotomies. The Guru shows us how to live in a relationship with IkOankar and the Will — let us be kept in the way that pleases IkOankar. Let us live in the way that IkOankar wants us to live. We are happy to live in praise of the Word-Sound, of Wisdom. This is the supplication or request when we have gone through initiation ceremonies.
In the Sikh tradition, the Guru Granth Sahib describes amrit, the immortal nectar, as Nam, or Identification with IkOankar. This Nam is received through the Wisdom. History tells us that from the time of Guru Nanak to the time of Guru Gobind Singh, amrit was given by the Guru personality. In 1699, Guru Gobind Singh institutionalized the initiation ceremony, Khande-ki-Pahul (literally impactful-water of double-edged sword). Taking Khande-ki-Pahul is to be initiated into a particular lifestyle where new learnings begin. Those who want immortality must identify with the Immortal — Nam. Lovers and warriors were and are synthesized into the Order of the Khalsa by the initiation ceremony of the Double-edged sword. Initiation is not an experience. Initiation is not the end goal; it is the first step. It is not just a physical ceremony. Guru Nanak elaborates on this kind of initiation through Nam that predates the amrit or Khande-ki-Pahul initiation ceremony. The Guru shows us that the mind needs to be worked upon to become steady. In order to create a state of steadfastness such that the mind does not go here and there, wandering and looking outside, such that we begin to look for the nectar of Nam within rather than without. The Guru urges us to reflect on what treasure we seek, what treasure of water, and what nectar we want to taste. If we want to taste the nectar of Identification through the Wisdom, we must get rid of our garbs, dualities, and cleverness. The mind ought to reflect on what is needed to get rid of non-virtues such that our regrets stop. We ought to pursue the virtues; we ought to work toward cultivating them within because, without them, we will continue to drown. We ought to learn to get rid of our internal filth of greed and lies. We can do this through the recitation of the Nam, Remembrance, and Identification. This is what brings freedom and movement. We ought to get rid of slander and greed and understand that it is through the eternal Wisdom that we receive the fruit of Nam. Ultimately, all grace is with the One, who we ask to keep us how the One wants us kept, to ask for the grace to be in remembrance and praise, to adopt and emulate the virtues. All of this training and effort is toward figuring out how to praise the Word of Wisdom. This is the ultimate deed. Are we ready to be initiated? Will we walk this path of addressing our own pretenses and dichotomies? Will we reflect and speak to our minds with love? Will we begin to make an effort toward praising the Word of Wisdom?
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