salok m: 1.
bhai vici pavaṇu vahai sadvāu. bhai vici calahi lakh darīāu.
bhai vici agani kaḍhai vegāri. bhai vici dhartī dabī bhāri.
bhai vici indu phirai sir bhāri. bhai vici rājā dharamu duāru.
bhai vici sūraju bhai vici candu. koh karoṛī calat na antu.
bhai vici sidh budh sur nāth. bhai vici āḍāṇe ākās.
bhai vici jodh mahābal sūr. bhai vici āvahi jāvahi pūr.
sagliā bhaü likhiā siri lekhu. nānak nirbhaü niraṅkāru sacu eku.1.
bhai vici pavaṇu vahai sadvāu. bhai vici calahi lakh darīāu.
bhai vici agani kaḍhai vegāri. bhai vici dhartī dabī bhāri.
bhai vici indu phirai sir bhāri. bhai vici rājā dharamu duāru.
bhai vici sūraju bhai vici candu. koh karoṛī calat na antu.
bhai vici sidh budh sur nāth. bhai vici āḍāṇe ākās.
bhai vici jodh mahābal sūr. bhai vici āvahi jāvahi pūr.
sagliā bhaü likhiā siri lekhu. nānak nirbhaü niraṅkāru sacu eku.1.
salok m: 1. |
bhai vici pavaṇu vahai sadvāu. bhai vici calahi lakh darīāu. |
bhai vici agani kaḍhai vegāri. bhai vici dhartī dabī bhāri. |
bhai vici indu phirai sir bhāri. bhai vici rājā dharamu duāru. |
bhai vici sūraju bhai vici candu. koh karoṛī calat na antu. |
bhai vici sidh budh sur nāth. bhai vici āḍāṇe ākās. |
bhai vici jodh mahābal sūr. bhai vici āvahi jāvahi pūr. |
sagliā bhaü likhiā siri lekhu. nānak nirbhaü niraṅkāru sacu eku.1. |
Guru Nanak describes all of the things in nature and their place in the Order of existence. Everything that exists is existing under something else, and all of these things in nature, these human beings and other living creatures, are existing under the Command. There is no hierarchy with various levels of divinity or various levels of access to the One (One Universal Integrative Force, also referred to as 1Force or 1-Ness). There is only the One and all of the manifestations of the One, only the fully divine (the Creator) and those learning to become divine-like (all of creation). Even then, there is no separation or difference between the One and 1-Ness.
In other conceptions of cosmic law, there are ideas about layers of existence and divinity, levels of heaven and hell, complicated hierarchies and rules that govern existence. The gods of various traditions, incarnations and avatars of the One, might exist directly under the Command of the One, but they, in turn, govern those beneath them. In some frameworks, there are people governed by other people — those who are more learned might have command over those who are not as learned, for example. Even in our day-to-day lives, we other ourselves, place ourselves above certain people and below certain people, play into hierarchies and ideas about who has and deserves power and authority, who we should listen to and who we should not.
Here, Guru Nanak is challenging those practices and simplifying popular frameworks of both cosmic law and social norms in our lived day-to-day experiences by saying that the hierarchy really only has two levels: there are all of these things that exist (including deities and holy people) and then there is the 1Force. There is nothing that is not under this Command.
Guru Nanak invokes all of the various parts of creation — not by name but by their role in the universe — playing more into the idea of a sort of Plan with a capital “P,” in which all of these different kinds of "positions" or "roles" operate under the Command.
Guru Nanak also invokes a widely-used trope, the idea of your destiny being “written on your forehead.” But instead of destiny, Guru Nanak writes, the Command, or the Writ of 1Force, is inscribed on each forehead. Everything is written, and the only one who is beyond this writing is the One — 1Force — who is both Eternal and Formless.
The distinction between destiny and Command is an important one, because destiny is centered around the individual. It could be seen as a command with a lowercase “c” — the kind of thing that can distract from the ultimate Command, the kind of thing that feeds on our egos and causes us to be lethargic and passive, operating in the world with the constant thought of “it’s out of my hands.” Destiny is about your individual fate over anything else, your individual journey through life, while The Command is about the Law which governs all things. Everyone and everything that exists is operating in its role, playing its part day-to-day — within this Command.
In other conceptions of cosmic law, there are ideas about layers of existence and divinity, levels of heaven and hell, complicated hierarchies and rules that govern existence. The gods of various traditions, incarnations and avatars of the One, might exist directly under the Command of the One, but they, in turn, govern those beneath them. In some frameworks, there are people governed by other people — those who are more learned might have command over those who are not as learned, for example. Even in our day-to-day lives, we other ourselves, place ourselves above certain people and below certain people, play into hierarchies and ideas about who has and deserves power and authority, who we should listen to and who we should not.
Here, Guru Nanak is challenging those practices and simplifying popular frameworks of both cosmic law and social norms in our lived day-to-day experiences by saying that the hierarchy really only has two levels: there are all of these things that exist (including deities and holy people) and then there is the 1Force. There is nothing that is not under this Command.
Guru Nanak invokes all of the various parts of creation — not by name but by their role in the universe — playing more into the idea of a sort of Plan with a capital “P,” in which all of these different kinds of "positions" or "roles" operate under the Command.
Guru Nanak also invokes a widely-used trope, the idea of your destiny being “written on your forehead.” But instead of destiny, Guru Nanak writes, the Command, or the Writ of 1Force, is inscribed on each forehead. Everything is written, and the only one who is beyond this writing is the One — 1Force — who is both Eternal and Formless.
The distinction between destiny and Command is an important one, because destiny is centered around the individual. It could be seen as a command with a lowercase “c” — the kind of thing that can distract from the ultimate Command, the kind of thing that feeds on our egos and causes us to be lethargic and passive, operating in the world with the constant thought of “it’s out of my hands.” Destiny is about your individual fate over anything else, your individual journey through life, while The Command is about the Law which governs all things. Everyone and everything that exists is operating in its role, playing its part day-to-day — within this Command.
Under the Command, the ever-flowing air blows; under the Command, innumerable rivers flow.
Under the Command, fire serves without wage. Under the Command, the earth is buried under the weight of the creation.
Under the Command, the cloud (Indra) roams upside down. Under the Command, the court of the king of justice (Dharam-Raj in Hinduism) delivers fair justice.
Under the Command, the sun and the moon are rotating (moving). There is no limit to the countless miles they cover.
Under the Command are the religious orders (Siddhas, Bodhis, Naths) and gods (deities); under the Command, the skies are stretched across the space without any physical support.
Under the Command are the powerful warriors and the brave; under the Command, countless (boatloads of) people take birth and die (arrive and depart).
Nanak! Everyone, without exception, is performing under the Command (the writ of fear has been written on everyone’s forehead). Only the eternal formless One is beyond the Command (fear).
Note: The overall message of the salok is that all of creation is operating under the cosmic command of IkOankar. Nothing is beyond this command, except the formless and eternal One. It is only by contemplating on the fearless One, that an individual can be liberated from any fear: nirbaü japai sagal bhaü miṭai. prabh kirpā te prāṇī chuṭai. –Guru Granth Sahib 293
Bhai Gurdas has elaborated on this salok in one of his pauris like this:
bhai vici dharti āgāsu hai nirādhār bhai bhār dharāiā.
paüṇu pāṇī baisantaro bhai vici rakhai meli milāiā.
pāṇī andari dharati dhari viṇu thammhā āgāsu rahāiā.
kāṭhai andari agani dhari kar parphulatu suphal phalāiā.
navī duārī pavaṇu dhari bhai vici sūraju cand calāiā.
nirbhaü āpi niranjanu rāiā.5. – Bhai Gurdas, Var 18, Pauri 5
(for reference only; translation will be done in the next version)
Under the Command, fire serves without wage. Under the Command, the earth is buried under the weight of the creation.
Under the Command, the cloud (Indra) roams upside down. Under the Command, the court of the king of justice (Dharam-Raj in Hinduism) delivers fair justice.
Under the Command, the sun and the moon are rotating (moving). There is no limit to the countless miles they cover.
Under the Command are the religious orders (Siddhas, Bodhis, Naths) and gods (deities); under the Command, the skies are stretched across the space without any physical support.
Under the Command are the powerful warriors and the brave; under the Command, countless (boatloads of) people take birth and die (arrive and depart).
Nanak! Everyone, without exception, is performing under the Command (the writ of fear has been written on everyone’s forehead). Only the eternal formless One is beyond the Command (fear).
Note: The overall message of the salok is that all of creation is operating under the cosmic command of IkOankar. Nothing is beyond this command, except the formless and eternal One. It is only by contemplating on the fearless One, that an individual can be liberated from any fear: nirbaü japai sagal bhaü miṭai. prabh kirpā te prāṇī chuṭai. –Guru Granth Sahib 293
Bhai Gurdas has elaborated on this salok in one of his pauris like this:
bhai vici dharti āgāsu hai nirādhār bhai bhār dharāiā.
paüṇu pāṇī baisantaro bhai vici rakhai meli milāiā.
pāṇī andari dharati dhari viṇu thammhā āgāsu rahāiā.
kāṭhai andari agani dhari kar parphulatu suphal phalāiā.
navī duārī pavaṇu dhari bhai vici sūraju cand calāiā.
nirbhaü āpi niranjanu rāiā.5. – Bhai Gurdas, Var 18, Pauri 5
(for reference only; translation will be done in the next version)
In fear, blows the ever-flowing air. In fear, flow hundreds of thousands of rivers.
In fear, fire labors without wage. In fear, the earth is buried under the load.
In fear, Indra roams upside down. In fear is the door of Dharam-Raj.
In fear is the sun, in fear is the moon; (they) move tens of millions of miles (but) there is no end.
In fear are the siddhas, bodhis, deities (and) naths. In fear are the stretched skies.
In fear are the powerful warriors (and) the brave. In fear, boatloads of passengers arrive and depart.
On everyone’s forehead, the writ of fear has been written. Nanak! Fearless is the true formless One.
In fear, fire labors without wage. In fear, the earth is buried under the load.
In fear, Indra roams upside down. In fear is the door of Dharam-Raj.
In fear is the sun, in fear is the moon; (they) move tens of millions of miles (but) there is no end.
In fear are the siddhas, bodhis, deities (and) naths. In fear are the stretched skies.
In fear are the powerful warriors (and) the brave. In fear, boatloads of passengers arrive and depart.
On everyone’s forehead, the writ of fear has been written. Nanak! Fearless is the true formless One.
The intrinsic use of parallelism enhances the poetic beauty of the fourteen line salok. The use of the phrase ‘bhai vici’ (in fear) in the first twelve lines creates a presence of syntactic parallelism in the beginning that establishes the ‘Command’ as the highest and most supreme. While the repetition of the phrase ‘bhai vici’ renders the tone and flow as musical, it also establishes the Command as eternal, and ensures the entire creation to be operating under it.
In Panjabi culture, the word ‘vegar/vagar’ (uncompensated labor) implies work done for some other individual without any compensation or benefit. In this context, by depicting the work done by fire without wages through ‘bhai vici agani kaḍhai vegāri,’ (under the Command, fire serves without wage) the supremacy of the Command is duly affirmed.
In 'bhai vici indu phirai sir bhāri,’ (under the Command, the cloud roams upside down) the cloud as represented by Indra, contrary to conventional belief, is shown to be wandering upside down under the Command. This poetic expression evokes a state of amazement through an element of wonder. This state becomes a reason for complete surrender in adoration of the Creator, and this technique adds to the poetic appeal of the passage and enhances its literary aesthetics.
Similarly, the phrase ‘koh karoṛī’ (millions of miles) is used for the sun and moon, pointing to their never-ending journey. Through the word ‘āḍāṇe’ (stretched) in the phrase ‘bhai vici āḍāṇe ākās,’ (under the Command, the skies are stretched across the space) the reference has been made to the sky, stretched out above. Through the creative use of these words, it is made clear that the entire creation, with all its elements, is working without an expectation of any reward.
The thirteenth line, ‘sagliā bhaü likhiā siri lekhu,’ (everyone is performing under the Command) eliminates the possibility of anything being beyond the scope of the Command. The last line, ‘nānak nirbhaü niraṅkāru sacu eku,’ (Nanak! Only the eternal formless One is beyond the Command) depicts IkOankar to be beyond the influence of each previously listed phenomenon, re-emphasizing the supremacy of the formless One, whose command governs all of creation.
In Panjabi culture, the word ‘vegar/vagar’ (uncompensated labor) implies work done for some other individual without any compensation or benefit. In this context, by depicting the work done by fire without wages through ‘bhai vici agani kaḍhai vegāri,’ (under the Command, fire serves without wage) the supremacy of the Command is duly affirmed.
In 'bhai vici indu phirai sir bhāri,’ (under the Command, the cloud roams upside down) the cloud as represented by Indra, contrary to conventional belief, is shown to be wandering upside down under the Command. This poetic expression evokes a state of amazement through an element of wonder. This state becomes a reason for complete surrender in adoration of the Creator, and this technique adds to the poetic appeal of the passage and enhances its literary aesthetics.
Similarly, the phrase ‘koh karoṛī’ (millions of miles) is used for the sun and moon, pointing to their never-ending journey. Through the word ‘āḍāṇe’ (stretched) in the phrase ‘bhai vici āḍāṇe ākās,’ (under the Command, the skies are stretched across the space) the reference has been made to the sky, stretched out above. Through the creative use of these words, it is made clear that the entire creation, with all its elements, is working without an expectation of any reward.
The thirteenth line, ‘sagliā bhaü likhiā siri lekhu,’ (everyone is performing under the Command) eliminates the possibility of anything being beyond the scope of the Command. The last line, ‘nānak nirbhaü niraṅkāru sacu eku,’ (Nanak! Only the eternal formless One is beyond the Command) depicts IkOankar to be beyond the influence of each previously listed phenomenon, re-emphasizing the supremacy of the formless One, whose command governs all of creation.