m: 1.
lakh nekīā caṅgiāīā lakh punnā parvāṇu.
lakh tap upari tīrthāṁ sahaj jog bebāṇ.
lakh sūrtaṇ saṅgrām raṇ mahi chuṭahi parāṇ.
lakh suratī lakh giān dhiān paṛīahi pāṭh purāṇ.
jini kartai karṇā kīā likhiā āvaṇ jāṇu.
nānak matī mithiā karam sacā nīsāṇu.2.
lakh nekīā caṅgiāīā lakh punnā parvāṇu.
lakh tap upari tīrthāṁ sahaj jog bebāṇ.
lakh sūrtaṇ saṅgrām raṇ mahi chuṭahi parāṇ.
lakh suratī lakh giān dhiān paṛīahi pāṭh purāṇ.
jini kartai karṇā kīā likhiā āvaṇ jāṇu.
nānak matī mithiā karam sacā nīsāṇu.2.
m: 1. |
lakh nekīā caṅgiāīā lakh punnā parvāṇu. |
lakh tap upari tīrthāṁ sahaj jog bebāṇ. |
lakh sūrtaṇ saṅgrām raṇ mahi chuṭahi parāṇ. |
lakh suratī lakh giān dhiān paṛīahi pāṭh purāṇ. |
jini kartai karṇā kīā likhiā āvaṇ jāṇu. |
nānak matī mithiā karam sacā nīsāṇu.2. |
Guru Nanak further personalizes this idea by listing out the things we do as individuals and as religious groups in an attempt to have a personal relationship with 1-Identification, or Nam — the ways in which we identify with, connect to, and experience the One. We do good deeds, we try to be kind, we involve ourselves in charity, we visit sacred sites, and we try various kinds of mindfulness exercises or retreats. We fixate on seeking knowledge or meaning, we read as many philosophical texts as we can as many times as we can, hoping to pull big answers from them that will make sense of all this being human. We try and try and try — through our own means or through means prescribed to us by organized religion — to personalize the 1-Identity, because we want so badly to connect.
But, Guru Nanak says, we cannot actually figure out how to personally connect because everything we are doing to personalize the 1-Identity is born out of particular establishment schools of thought, leading us to continue separating ourselves based along these identifying lines, and upon various outward markers. Everything is born out of that same I-ness mentioned in the previous ballad. The only thing that is not born out of I-ness is the grace, which Guru Nanak says is the true mark, the only means through which that personal connection can happen.
But, Guru Nanak says, we cannot actually figure out how to personally connect because everything we are doing to personalize the 1-Identity is born out of particular establishment schools of thought, leading us to continue separating ourselves based along these identifying lines, and upon various outward markers. Everything is born out of that same I-ness mentioned in the previous ballad. The only thing that is not born out of I-ness is the grace, which Guru Nanak says is the true mark, the only means through which that personal connection can happen.
Even if hundreds of thousands of virtuous deeds, acts of kindness, and approved acts of charity are carried out. Even if hundreds of thousands of austerities are practiced at the pilgrimage sites, and hundreds of thousands of sahaj or giān yogs are practiced in the wilderness.
Even if hundreds of thousands of feats of bravery are displayed, and hundreds of thousands of wars are fought, even if lives are lost on the battlefield. Even if hundreds of thousands of practices of mindfulness, and methods of seeking knowledge and meditation are undertaken, even if the puranas are read innumerable times.
The Creator who has created the world has written the cycle of birth and death (the coming and going).
Nanak! All other intellects mentioned above are useless and temporary (false). Feeling the Grace of IkOankar is the only true mark.
Even if hundreds of thousands of feats of bravery are displayed, and hundreds of thousands of wars are fought, even if lives are lost on the battlefield. Even if hundreds of thousands of practices of mindfulness, and methods of seeking knowledge and meditation are undertaken, even if the puranas are read innumerable times.
The Creator who has created the world has written the cycle of birth and death (the coming and going).
Nanak! All other intellects mentioned above are useless and temporary (false). Feeling the Grace of IkOankar is the only true mark.
(Even if) hundreds of thousands of virtuous deeds, acts of kindness (and) hundreds of thousands of approved acts of charity (are done).
(Even if) hundreds of thousands of austerities (are performed) at the pilgrimage sites (and hundreds of thousands of) sahaj yog practiced in the wilderness.
(Even if) hundreds of thousands of feats of bravery (are displayed) and wars (are fought, even if) lives are lost in the battlefield.
(Even if) hundreds of thousands of practices of mindfulness, hundreds of thousands of (methods of) knowledge and meditation (are practiced) even if texts of puranas are read.
The Creator who has created the world has written the coming and going (of beings).
Nanak! (All other) intellects are false, grace (of that IkOankar) is the (only) true sign.
(Even if) hundreds of thousands of austerities (are performed) at the pilgrimage sites (and hundreds of thousands of) sahaj yog practiced in the wilderness.
(Even if) hundreds of thousands of feats of bravery (are displayed) and wars (are fought, even if) lives are lost in the battlefield.
(Even if) hundreds of thousands of practices of mindfulness, hundreds of thousands of (methods of) knowledge and meditation (are practiced) even if texts of puranas are read.
The Creator who has created the world has written the coming and going (of beings).
Nanak! (All other) intellects are false, grace (of that IkOankar) is the (only) true sign.
The first four lines of this salok start with the word ‘lakh’ (hundreds of thousands). Additionally, this word also appears in the middle of the first and the fourth line. This is a numeral adjective, which is used as an idiom to denote enumerability and limitlessness in the field of poetry. Consequently, by evoking lexical parallelism in the beginning and middle and using proverbs, it has been made clear that worldly beings employ various methods to achieve spiritual wisdom or liberation.
The fifth line is different from the first four in terms of construction and structure. Through deflection here, greatness and virtues of IkOankar have been evoked, and IkOankar is shown as the creator of the universe, who decides life and death. There is semantic deviation in ‘āvaṇ jāṇu’ (coming and going). Though, the literal meaning of ‘āvaṇ jāṇu’ is ‘to come and go,’ in the Guru Granth Sahib it is used to represent the idea of ‘life and death.’
The sixth and the last line of this salok serves as a summary of the first five lines; this is syntactic deviation. Through this, it has been clarified that all the above acts and engagements are false (matī mithiā), and the grace of IkOankar is the only true sign of approval (karam sacā nīsāṇu).
Additionally, alliteration has been beautifully employed in ‘punnā parvāṇu’ (approved acts of charity), ‘sūrtaṇ saṅgrām’ (feats of bravery), ‘paṛīahi pāṭh purāṇ’ (if texts of Puranas are read), ‘kartai karṇā kīā’ (the Creator who has created the world), etc.
The fifth line is different from the first four in terms of construction and structure. Through deflection here, greatness and virtues of IkOankar have been evoked, and IkOankar is shown as the creator of the universe, who decides life and death. There is semantic deviation in ‘āvaṇ jāṇu’ (coming and going). Though, the literal meaning of ‘āvaṇ jāṇu’ is ‘to come and go,’ in the Guru Granth Sahib it is used to represent the idea of ‘life and death.’
The sixth and the last line of this salok serves as a summary of the first five lines; this is syntactic deviation. Through this, it has been clarified that all the above acts and engagements are false (matī mithiā), and the grace of IkOankar is the only true sign of approval (karam sacā nīsāṇu).
Additionally, alliteration has been beautifully employed in ‘punnā parvāṇu’ (approved acts of charity), ‘sūrtaṇ saṅgrām’ (feats of bravery), ‘paṛīahi pāṭh purāṇ’ (if texts of Puranas are read), ‘kartai karṇā kīā’ (the Creator who has created the world), etc.