m: 1.
likhi likhi paṛiā. tetā kaṛiā.
bahu tīrath bhaviā. teto laviā.
bahu bhekh kīā dehī dukhu dīā.
sahu ve jīā apaṇā kīā.
annu na khāiā sādu gavāiā.
bahu dukhu pāiā dūjā bhāiā.
bastra na pahirai. ahinisi kaharai.
moni vigūtā. kiu jāgai gur binu sūtā.
pag upetāṇā. apaṇā kīā kamāṇā.
alu malu khāī siri chāī pāī. mūrakhi andhai pati gavāī. viṇu nāvai kichu thāi na pāī.
rahai bebāṇī maṛī masāṇī. andhu na jāṇai phiri pachutāṇī.
satiguru bheṭe so sukhu pāe. hari kā nāmu manni vasāe.
nānak nadari kare so pāe. ās andese te nihkevalu haümai sabadi jalāe.2.
likhi likhi paṛiā. tetā kaṛiā.
bahu tīrath bhaviā. teto laviā.
bahu bhekh kīā dehī dukhu dīā.
sahu ve jīā apaṇā kīā.
annu na khāiā sādu gavāiā.
bahu dukhu pāiā dūjā bhāiā.
bastra na pahirai. ahinisi kaharai.
moni vigūtā. kiu jāgai gur binu sūtā.
pag upetāṇā. apaṇā kīā kamāṇā.
alu malu khāī siri chāī pāī. mūrakhi andhai pati gavāī. viṇu nāvai kichu thāi na pāī.
rahai bebāṇī maṛī masāṇī. andhu na jāṇai phiri pachutāṇī.
satiguru bheṭe so sukhu pāe. hari kā nāmu manni vasāe.
nānak nadari kare so pāe. ās andese te nihkevalu haümai sabadi jalāe.2.
m: 1. |
likhi likhi paṛiā. tetā kaṛiā. |
bahu tīrath bhaviā. teto laviā. |
bahu bhekh kīā dehī dukhu dīā. |
sahu ve jīā apaṇā kīā. |
annu na khāiā sādu gavāiā. |
bahu dukhu pāiā dūjā bhāiā. |
bastra na pahirai. ahinisi kaharai. |
moni vigūtā. kiu jāgai gur binu sūtā. |
pag upetāṇā. apaṇā kīā kamāṇā. |
alu malu khāī siri chāī pāī. mūrakhi andhai pati gavāī. viṇu nāvai kichu thāi na pāī. |
rahai bebāṇī maṛī masāṇī. andhu na jāṇai phiri pachutāṇī. |
satiguru bheṭe so sukhu pāe. hari kā nāmu manni vasāe. |
nānak nadari kare so pāe. ās andese te nihkevalu haümai sabadi jalāe.2. |
Guru Nanak then addresses the other less “conventional” ways in which we attempt to figure out that one thing. This verse is focused mostly on the things we do because we think that they are getting at the inner knowledge we so desperately seek. These are the methods we think exist in great contrast to the bookish pursuit of knowledge described in the first verse. These are the things that we think get at the very heart of it all — that will open our minds or uncover the truth, that will leave us enlightened and at peace, having discovered ultimate meaning. Guru Nanak says, we can wander naked, exposing ourselves to extreme temperatures, we can bathe at every pilgrimage site, we can dress a certain way, we can eat very little, we can become silent, we can move to the forest and out of society, we can do all of these things to varying degrees. And we do, all the time, in our own contexts, whether prescribed by a religion or not. We attempt to contort ourselves in certain ways, often pushing ourselves to extremes, whether it is through cryogenic chambers, sauna sessions, cold showers, fasting, extreme diets, silent retreats, transcendental meditation, or yoga. We do all of these things because we are looking for that one thing, but we are only lead to frustration.
If we haven’t figured out that one thing, we are only making ourselves go through hardships in hopes that it will lead us to the answers we are looking for. But we are walking through life asleep, and Guru Nanak tells us that waking up requires the Wisdom (the Guru, the one who brings enlightenment-light by dispelling ignorance-darkness). When we are devoted to the Wisdom, that 1-Identification, or Nam (the ways in which we identify with, connect to, and experience the One) is in our minds, we can walk through the world understanding the 1-Ness (One Universal Integrative Force, or 1Force) all around us, and it is that understanding, living with the memory of that Identification, that allows us to feel Grace. It is that Identification that releases us from our expectations, desires, and worries, and burns away our egos.
If we haven’t figured out that one thing, we are only making ourselves go through hardships in hopes that it will lead us to the answers we are looking for. But we are walking through life asleep, and Guru Nanak tells us that waking up requires the Wisdom (the Guru, the one who brings enlightenment-light by dispelling ignorance-darkness). When we are devoted to the Wisdom, that 1-Identification, or Nam (the ways in which we identify with, connect to, and experience the One) is in our minds, we can walk through the world understanding the 1-Ness (One Universal Integrative Force, or 1Force) all around us, and it is that understanding, living with the memory of that Identification, that allows us to feel Grace. It is that Identification that releases us from our expectations, desires, and worries, and burns away our egos.
As much as one has written and studied, one is distressed even more because of egoism.
As much as one wandered and bathed at the many pilgrimage sites, so much more did one brag about it.
One who guised themselves in many forms and garbs did not gain anything, and only ended up inflicting needless pain to the body.
O Being! Who else is to be blamed for this? Now, bear the consequences of your own actions.
One who fasted only failed to relish the taste of food, and did not gain anything.
Whoever found anything other than IkOankar more pleasing, endured a lot of pain in life.
The one who wanders naked only endures extreme heat and cold and does not gain anything, suffering day and night.
The one who kept silent did not gain anything and was frustrated. How can one sleeping in ignorance be awakened without the Guru’s wisdom?
The one who wandered barefooted bore the consequences of one’s own ritualistic practices and did not gain anything.
The one who gave up fresh food, ate filth and smeared ash on the head, that ignorant fool lost honor. Without Identification (Nam), nothing else is accepted in the court of IkOankar.
One who abandons home and lives in the wilderness, cemeteries, and cremation grounds, that ignorant one does not know the value of this precious life, and then repents later, having wasted life away.
That being discovers happiness in life, who receives the eternal Wisdom’s teaching and has Identification (Nam) in the heart.
But, Nanak! That one alone, receives Identification (Nam) whom IkOankar graces. Enshrining Identification (Nam) in the heart, one is liberated from material desires and worries, and destroys the feeling of I, me, and mine (egoism) with the Word (Sabad).
As much as one wandered and bathed at the many pilgrimage sites, so much more did one brag about it.
One who guised themselves in many forms and garbs did not gain anything, and only ended up inflicting needless pain to the body.
O Being! Who else is to be blamed for this? Now, bear the consequences of your own actions.
One who fasted only failed to relish the taste of food, and did not gain anything.
Whoever found anything other than IkOankar more pleasing, endured a lot of pain in life.
The one who wanders naked only endures extreme heat and cold and does not gain anything, suffering day and night.
The one who kept silent did not gain anything and was frustrated. How can one sleeping in ignorance be awakened without the Guru’s wisdom?
The one who wandered barefooted bore the consequences of one’s own ritualistic practices and did not gain anything.
The one who gave up fresh food, ate filth and smeared ash on the head, that ignorant fool lost honor. Without Identification (Nam), nothing else is accepted in the court of IkOankar.
One who abandons home and lives in the wilderness, cemeteries, and cremation grounds, that ignorant one does not know the value of this precious life, and then repents later, having wasted life away.
That being discovers happiness in life, who receives the eternal Wisdom’s teaching and has Identification (Nam) in the heart.
But, Nanak! That one alone, receives Identification (Nam) whom IkOankar graces. Enshrining Identification (Nam) in the heart, one is liberated from material desires and worries, and destroys the feeling of I, me, and mine (egoism) with the Word (Sabad).
(As much as someone has) read, having written repeatedly, so much (more has one been) distressed.
(As much as one) wandered (and bathed) at many pilgrimage sites, so much (more one) bragged (about it).
(Whoever) guised in many forms, (only) inflicted pain to the body.
O Being! (Now) endure (consequences of) your own doing.
(Whoever) did not eat food, (only) lost the taste (of the food).
(That individual) endured a lot of pain, (to whom) the other seemed pleasing (instead of IkOankar).
(One who) does not wear clothes, endures suffering day-night.
(The one) keeping silent was exhausted; how can (that) sleeping (one) awaken without the Guru?
(One who wandered) barefooted, earned own deeds.
(One who) ate filth (and) applied ash on the head, (that) blind fool lost honor. Without Nam nothing falls in place.
(One who) lives in the wilderness, in the cemeteries and on the cremation grounds, (that) blind (one) does not know; then repents (after the time has passed).
(Whom) the true Guru meets (and) enshrines Nam in the mind, that (one) finds happiness.
(But) Nanak! (Upon whom IkOankar) bestows the glance of grace, that (being alone) receives (Nam). (Then, one becomes) free of desires and worries, (and) burns egoism through Sabad.
(As much as one) wandered (and bathed) at many pilgrimage sites, so much (more one) bragged (about it).
(Whoever) guised in many forms, (only) inflicted pain to the body.
O Being! (Now) endure (consequences of) your own doing.
(Whoever) did not eat food, (only) lost the taste (of the food).
(That individual) endured a lot of pain, (to whom) the other seemed pleasing (instead of IkOankar).
(One who) does not wear clothes, endures suffering day-night.
(The one) keeping silent was exhausted; how can (that) sleeping (one) awaken without the Guru?
(One who wandered) barefooted, earned own deeds.
(One who) ate filth (and) applied ash on the head, (that) blind fool lost honor. Without Nam nothing falls in place.
(One who) lives in the wilderness, in the cemeteries and on the cremation grounds, (that) blind (one) does not know; then repents (after the time has passed).
(Whom) the true Guru meets (and) enshrines Nam in the mind, that (one) finds happiness.
(But) Nanak! (Upon whom IkOankar) bestows the glance of grace, that (being alone) receives (Nam). (Then, one becomes) free of desires and worries, (and) burns egoism through Sabad.
In this salok of twenty-three lines, some lines are shorter while others are longer, even though all lines rhyme. In the shorter lines there is one-word (singular) rhyming like: ‘paṛiā-kaṛiā’ (studied-boiled) in the first-second line, ‘bhaviā-laviā’ (wandered-bragged) in the third-fourth line, ‘pahirai-kaharai’ (wears-suffers) in the ninth-tenth line, ‘vigūtā-sūtā’ (exhausted-slept) in the eleventh-twelfth line, ‘upetāṇā-kamāṇā’ (barefooted-earned) in the thirteenth-fourteenth line.
In the longer lines this rhyming becomes two-word (double), like:
Additionally, shorter lines rhyme only at the end, whereas the longer lines exhibit rhyming both in the middle and the end:
likhi likhi paṛiā. tetā kaṛiā. (as much as one has written and studied, so much more one has been distressed) (first-second line)
bahu tīrath bhaviā. teto laviā. (as much as one wandered and bathed at the many pilgrimage sites, so much more did one brag about it) (third-fourth line)
bastra na pahirai. ahinisi kaharai. (one who does not wear clothes, endures suffering day-night) (ninth-tenth line)
There is similarity in the first and the second half of the longer lines:
bahu bhekh kīā dehī dukhu dīā. (whoever guised in many forms, only inflicted pain to the body) (fifth)
sahu ve jīā apaṇā kīā. (O Being! Now endure consequences of your own doing) (sixth)
annu na khāiā sādu gavāiā. (whoever did not eat food, only lost the taste of the food) (seventh)
bahu dukhu pāiā dūjā bhāiā. (that individual endured a lot of pain, to whom the other seemed pleasing instead of IkOankar) (eight)
The rhyming words and the appearance of ‘samracna paddhari samanantarta’ result in a unique aural beauty in these lines. Additionally, in this salok, by including the words used in their straight literal sense as well as sarcastic vocabulary, satire is visible:
Similarly, the employment of colloquial terms like ‘alu malu khāī’ (ate filth) and ‘siri chāī pāī’ (applied ash on the head) also evokes satire. The shorter length of the lines further sharpen the effect of satire in this salok.
Through simple linguistic expression in the twentieth, twenty-first, twenty-second and twenty-third line, stress has been laid upon the idea that only after meeting the true Guru, Nam comes to dwell in the heart, resulting in a state of happiness. That individual, upon whom IkOankar sets a glance of grace, becomes free of expectations and worries (ās andese), and controls egoism through the ‘sabad.’
In the first nineteen lines of this salok, it has been clarified that reading a lot of religious texts, going on pilgrimages, wearing religious attire, forsaking clothing and food, keeping silence, wandering naked, consuming filth, roaming around desolate places and cremation grounds, etc. is a futile and wasteful engagement. In the last four lines, it has been taught that only remembering IkOankar, and seeking IkOankar’s grace is the right path. There is a description of futile ritualistic acts in the first nineteen lines, and the last four lines recommend Gurmat principle. Because of this contrast, there is discourse level semantic deflection.
In the longer lines this rhyming becomes two-word (double), like:
| ‘kīā-dīā’ (did/wore-gave), ‘jīā-kīā’ (being-action) | (fifth-sixth) |
| ‘khāiā-gavāiā’ (eaten-lost), ‘pāiā-bhāiā’ (received-seemed pleasing) | (seventh-eighth) |
| ‘khāī-chāī’ (ate-ash), ‘pāī-gavāī’ (put/smeared-lost) | (fifteenth-sixteenth) |
| ‘bebāṇī-masāṇī-pachutāṇī’ (wilderness- cremation ground-repent/regret) | (eighteenth-nineteenth) |
Additionally, shorter lines rhyme only at the end, whereas the longer lines exhibit rhyming both in the middle and the end:
likhi likhi paṛiā. tetā kaṛiā. (as much as one has written and studied, so much more one has been distressed) (first-second line)
bahu tīrath bhaviā. teto laviā. (as much as one wandered and bathed at the many pilgrimage sites, so much more did one brag about it) (third-fourth line)
bastra na pahirai. ahinisi kaharai. (one who does not wear clothes, endures suffering day-night) (ninth-tenth line)
There is similarity in the first and the second half of the longer lines:
bahu bhekh kīā dehī dukhu dīā. (whoever guised in many forms, only inflicted pain to the body) (fifth)
sahu ve jīā apaṇā kīā. (O Being! Now endure consequences of your own doing) (sixth)
annu na khāiā sādu gavāiā. (whoever did not eat food, only lost the taste of the food) (seventh)
bahu dukhu pāiā dūjā bhāiā. (that individual endured a lot of pain, to whom the other seemed pleasing instead of IkOankar) (eight)
The rhyming words and the appearance of ‘samracna paddhari samanantarta’ result in a unique aural beauty in these lines. Additionally, in this salok, by including the words used in their straight literal sense as well as sarcastic vocabulary, satire is visible:
| ‘paṛiā’ (read/studied) with ‘kaṛiā’ (boiled/distressed) | (first-second) |
| ‘bhaviā’ (wandered) with ‘laviā’ (spoke/bragged) | (third-fourth) |
| ‘pahirai’ (wears) with ‘kaharai’ (endures suffering) | (ninth-tenth) |
Similarly, the employment of colloquial terms like ‘alu malu khāī’ (ate filth) and ‘siri chāī pāī’ (applied ash on the head) also evokes satire. The shorter length of the lines further sharpen the effect of satire in this salok.
Through simple linguistic expression in the twentieth, twenty-first, twenty-second and twenty-third line, stress has been laid upon the idea that only after meeting the true Guru, Nam comes to dwell in the heart, resulting in a state of happiness. That individual, upon whom IkOankar sets a glance of grace, becomes free of expectations and worries (ās andese), and controls egoism through the ‘sabad.’
In the first nineteen lines of this salok, it has been clarified that reading a lot of religious texts, going on pilgrimages, wearing religious attire, forsaking clothing and food, keeping silence, wandering naked, consuming filth, roaming around desolate places and cremation grounds, etc. is a futile and wasteful engagement. In the last four lines, it has been taught that only remembering IkOankar, and seeking IkOankar’s grace is the right path. There is a description of futile ritualistic acts in the first nineteen lines, and the last four lines recommend Gurmat principle. Because of this contrast, there is discourse level semantic deflection.