dohra.
balu chuṭkio bandhan pare kachū na hot upāi.
kahu nānak ab oṭ hari gaj jiu hohu sahāi.53.
-Guru Granth Sahib 1429
Guru Teghbahadar Sahib reminds beings of the purpose of life, which is to remember and reflect on the virtues of IkOankar (the Divine). The saloks describe how life is wasted in the entanglements of familial and material attachments distracting from the purpose of life. They inspire seekers to search for deeper meaning beyond the attachment to family and temporary material things and develop a relationship with IkOankar. These saloks gently nudge seekers to live in awareness of IkOankar and see the entire world from that place of realization.
Commentary
Literal Translation
Interpretive Transcreation
Poetical Dimension
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In the fifty-third stanza, Guru Teghbahadar says, when spiritual-strength is lost, bondages of material attachment overpower; one cannot get rid of these entanglements by mere intellectual and physical efforts. O 1-Light! Now it is only Your support that we seek. Please help us just as You helped and protected the elephant from an octopus in the mythological story.
Our physical strength is leaving the body. As we live our lives, more entanglements and dependencies accumulate, and we lose mental, emotional, and spiritual strength. We cannot figure out what to do. The Guru says, this is the time to take refuge in the 1-Light. The 1-Light can help us in the same way the elephant was helped. In Hindu mythology, Gandharva, a heavenly being, became an elephant due to the curse of a hermit, Deval. The elephant was caught by an octopus in the lake of Varuna (the god of oceans). When he became helpless and started drowning in the lake, he called upon the Divine. The Divine granted his plea and freed him.
We, too, are drowning in our loss of strength and our consumption and our fear and helplessness. Even the most elephant-like personalities get caught-up in octopus-like tentacles of life. When the big and powerful get overwhelmed, they seek refuge in the 1-Light. And when we ask for help, we get it. Where are we seeking help from?
Our physical strength is leaving the body. As we live our lives, more entanglements and dependencies accumulate, and we lose mental, emotional, and spiritual strength. We cannot figure out what to do. The Guru says, this is the time to take refuge in the 1-Light. The 1-Light can help us in the same way the elephant was helped. In Hindu mythology, Gandharva, a heavenly being, became an elephant due to the curse of a hermit, Deval. The elephant was caught by an octopus in the lake of Varuna (the god of oceans). When he became helpless and started drowning in the lake, he called upon the Divine. The Divine granted his plea and freed him.
We, too, are drowning in our loss of strength and our consumption and our fear and helplessness. Even the most elephant-like personalities get caught-up in octopus-like tentacles of life. When the big and powerful get overwhelmed, they seek refuge in the 1-Light. And when we ask for help, we get it. Where are we seeking help from?
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