mārū mahalā 9.
māī mai man ko mānu na tiāgio.
māiā ke madi janamu sirāio rām bhajani nahī lāgio.1. rahāu.
jam ko ḍanḍu pario sir ūpari tab sovat tai jāgio.
kahā hot ab kai pachutāe chūṭat nāhin bhāgio.1.
ih cintā upjī ghaṭ mahi jab gur carnan anurāgio.
suphalu janamu nānak tab hūā jaü prabh jas mahi pāgio.2.3.
-Guru Granth Sahib 1008
Guru Teghbahadar Sahib addresses a mother-like truth-oriented companion (mai) from the first-person perspective and describes the state of a prideful and materialistic being. Life can only be considered fruitful when seekers renounce their egos and imbue their minds with the praises of IkOankar (the Divine).
Commentary
Literal Translation
Interpretive Transcreation
Poetical Dimension
Calligraphy
Note: Maru is a rag (musical mode) that is often used to narrate heroic battles, evoking a mood of valiance and aggression, and strength. In this composition, the mind is the thing that is being battled, and the emphasis is on expressing the truth regardless of the consequences.
In the third composition, Guru Teghbahadar continues addressing the maternal figure, saying, O mother! I did not forsake the pride of my mind. I have spent my life in the intoxication of Maya (material attachment). I did not engage in praises of the Beautiful Charming One. In the second composition, the Guru addresses the maternal figure, from whom we came, who loves us even with our flaws and our missteps, with a rhetorical question. This is the relationship we can invoke when we are in this state of introspection and want to acknowledge our flaws and missteps. The maternal figure will see the best in us anyway, build us up in love, and understand our struggles. In this composition, we are shown how to admit our missteps, how to confess to the things we might be afraid of saying — that we have let our lives pass. At the same time, we remain entangled in the temporary, that we did not connect to the devotion of the Beautiful One, that we gathered pride in the mind and kept it there. There is a power to this vulnerability, to say a thing aloud and owning it, and to acknowledge and take responsibility for that which ails us. And it is this honesty and responsibility that allows for us to address our ailments.
O mother! I did not forsake the pride of my mind. The Guru continues and says; I have not done anything other than building ego and pride. When the Messenger of Death hit me over the head, that is when I finally awakened my consciousness from my constant state of sleep. This stick is the wake-up call that comes far too late. Will we wake up when the punishment comes down on us? Will we wake up when it is too late? The Guru says, what can be done by repenting now? I cannot escape by running away. It is at this moment that we realize how fearful we are of death. This is what shakes us out of our slumber. We cannot repent or escape in the end, and it is at the end, we tend to stew in regret and fear, worried about what we have or have not done, where we will or will not end up.
O mother! I did not forsake the pride of my mind. The Guru says, ever since this worry was born in my heart, my love was attached to the Wisdom. When I was immersed in praises of the One, when I was dyed in love, then my life became fruitful. When we have that wake-up call, when we become aware of all that we have not done, all the life we have let slip by, we begin to make a conscious effort to live in devotion and praise and use this gift of human life.
This is what happens when we do the scary and difficult thing — sit with ourselves in introspection — and acknowledge all that we have not done, all that we wished we had done, all that we were unable to free ourselves from. And it is in that step; we can address the things that bind and ail us, even if we are coming to the end of our lives. This is when we seek the sanctuary of the One, when we live in devotion and love for the Wisdom. Will we be brave enough to go through this process? Will we reflect on and acknowledge our missteps and ailments? Will we seek the sanctuary of the One, and begin to live in devotion and praise even when we think it is far too late?
In the third composition, Guru Teghbahadar continues addressing the maternal figure, saying, O mother! I did not forsake the pride of my mind. I have spent my life in the intoxication of Maya (material attachment). I did not engage in praises of the Beautiful Charming One. In the second composition, the Guru addresses the maternal figure, from whom we came, who loves us even with our flaws and our missteps, with a rhetorical question. This is the relationship we can invoke when we are in this state of introspection and want to acknowledge our flaws and missteps. The maternal figure will see the best in us anyway, build us up in love, and understand our struggles. In this composition, we are shown how to admit our missteps, how to confess to the things we might be afraid of saying — that we have let our lives pass. At the same time, we remain entangled in the temporary, that we did not connect to the devotion of the Beautiful One, that we gathered pride in the mind and kept it there. There is a power to this vulnerability, to say a thing aloud and owning it, and to acknowledge and take responsibility for that which ails us. And it is this honesty and responsibility that allows for us to address our ailments.
O mother! I did not forsake the pride of my mind. The Guru continues and says; I have not done anything other than building ego and pride. When the Messenger of Death hit me over the head, that is when I finally awakened my consciousness from my constant state of sleep. This stick is the wake-up call that comes far too late. Will we wake up when the punishment comes down on us? Will we wake up when it is too late? The Guru says, what can be done by repenting now? I cannot escape by running away. It is at this moment that we realize how fearful we are of death. This is what shakes us out of our slumber. We cannot repent or escape in the end, and it is at the end, we tend to stew in regret and fear, worried about what we have or have not done, where we will or will not end up.
O mother! I did not forsake the pride of my mind. The Guru says, ever since this worry was born in my heart, my love was attached to the Wisdom. When I was immersed in praises of the One, when I was dyed in love, then my life became fruitful. When we have that wake-up call, when we become aware of all that we have not done, all the life we have let slip by, we begin to make a conscious effort to live in devotion and praise and use this gift of human life.
This is what happens when we do the scary and difficult thing — sit with ourselves in introspection — and acknowledge all that we have not done, all that we wished we had done, all that we were unable to free ourselves from. And it is in that step; we can address the things that bind and ail us, even if we are coming to the end of our lives. This is when we seek the sanctuary of the One, when we live in devotion and love for the Wisdom. Will we be brave enough to go through this process? Will we reflect on and acknowledge our missteps and ailments? Will we seek the sanctuary of the One, and begin to live in devotion and praise even when we think it is far too late?
Tags
