māyā cit bharmeṇ isṭ mitrekhu bāṁdhavah.
labdhyaṅ sādh saṅgeṇ nānak sukh asthānaṅ gopāl bhajṇaṅ.4.
-Guru Granth Sahib 1360
Guru Arjan Sahib describes a flaw-riddled body and the futile nature of pride in material attachment to the physical world. The seeker is encouraged to connect with the eternal IkOankar (the Divine), who removes diseases, sorrows, and sufferings, making way for a fruitful life. The precious gift of Nam is received in the company of virtuous beings and makes the seekers’ lives fruitful. This saloks encourages seekers to welcome the company of virtuous beings to unite with the all-pervasive IkOankar and find eternal comfort and happiness.
Commentary
Literal Translation
Interpretive Transcreation
Poetical Dimension
Calligraphy
In the fourth salok, Guru Arjan elaborates on the ways in which we attach ourselves to the temporary. Maya, or attachment to the material and our relationships, makes the consciousness wander in attachment to our dear friends and relatives. The love we have for the ones close to us can actually be what distracts us from the remembrance of IkOankar (One Universal Integrative Force, 1Force, the One). We might think our friends and family are the only community we ought to keep, that just by virtue of loving them, they are the virtuous beings. We might think that this love is a manifestation of our love for the One. But if we are not understanding our relationships as rooted in and extended from the Eternal, we are instead caught up in illusions of permanence and delusion.
We are looking for comfort and joy in those relationships. We are looking to be fulfilled through them. But, as the Guru reminds us, true comfort and happiness are in the remembrance of IkOankar, which is found in the company of the virtuous beings. That company and that community become a place of joy and comfort because it is in that company that we get out of our tendency to run around in pursuit of Maya and instead practice the remembrance of the One. The Guru invokes Gopal as an attribute of IkOankar, pointing to the One as the Nurturer of the Earth. This is an important emphasis on the active role of the One in even our worldly dealings, as the caretaker of all of creation. Suppose we can align with the One who takes care of us even in our worldly transactions, in our material relationships. In that case, we can overcome Maya, which is very much a part of our earthly existence and experience. We can overcome the illusions that cause us to be forgetful and instead practice remembrance. We can understand our relationships with our family and friends and our relationships with those who are virtuous. How are we defining community? How do we understand who the virtuous ones are? How are we aligning ourselves with the One who knows all of these things intimately, the One who knows all of creation?
We are looking for comfort and joy in those relationships. We are looking to be fulfilled through them. But, as the Guru reminds us, true comfort and happiness are in the remembrance of IkOankar, which is found in the company of the virtuous beings. That company and that community become a place of joy and comfort because it is in that company that we get out of our tendency to run around in pursuit of Maya and instead practice the remembrance of the One. The Guru invokes Gopal as an attribute of IkOankar, pointing to the One as the Nurturer of the Earth. This is an important emphasis on the active role of the One in even our worldly dealings, as the caretaker of all of creation. Suppose we can align with the One who takes care of us even in our worldly transactions, in our material relationships. In that case, we can overcome Maya, which is very much a part of our earthly existence and experience. We can overcome the illusions that cause us to be forgetful and instead practice remembrance. We can understand our relationships with our family and friends and our relationships with those who are virtuous. How are we defining community? How do we understand who the virtuous ones are? How are we aligning ourselves with the One who knows all of these things intimately, the One who knows all of creation?
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