ikoaṅkār satigur prasādi.
rāgu bihāgṛā mahalā 9.
hari kī gati nahi koū jānai.
jogī jatī tapī paci hāre aru bahu log siāne.1. rahāu.
chin mahi rāu raṅk kaü karaī rāu raṅk kari ḍāre.
rīte bhare bhare sakhnāvai yah tā ko bivhāre.1.
apnī māiā āpi pasārī āpahi dekhanhārā.
nānā rūpu dhare bahuraṅgī sabh te rahai niārā.2.
aganat apāru alakh niranjan jih sabh jagu bharmāio.
sagal bharam taji nānak prāṇī carani tāhi citu lāio.3.1.2.
-Guru Granth Sahib 537
Guru Teghbahadar Sahib explains that no being can find the limits of the wondrous plays of IkOankar (the Divine). IkOankar, by Own-Self, has created the whole expanse of the world and, by Own-Self, remains detached from it. This Sabad encourages seekers to yield their anxiety and fear and instead attach their consciousness to IkOankar.
Commentary
Literal Translation
Interpretive Transcreation
Poetical Dimension
Calligraphy
In this composition, Guru Teghbahadar offers an understanding of the One by emphasizing that the way of the 1-Light is beyond our limited understanding. The focus is not on attempting to decode the 1-Light or the ways and methods of the 1-Light. The focus is not on attempting to explain the wonderful play of the One. Instead, the focus becomes: Can I visualize this wonderful play? What is in that wonderful play? Can I see what all of these different wise and dedicated, and disciplined people are up to in their attempts to understand? Can I understand that the way of this world-play is beyond my understanding?
The Guru says that no one can really understand the modus operandi of the 1-Light. But because we are humans, our instinct and nature always want to know how things work and understand them. We are constantly looking to understand — regardless of the nature of the complexity of things. And we see this in the ways that humans study various things. We have psychology and philosophy, and various sciences. We have interesting theories and explanations for so many things, from human behavior to the nature of existence to the illusion of time. But the Guru emphasizes the unpredictable way of the 1-Light: that a king becomes a pauper and a pauper becomes a king, that the empty ones become filled and the filled ones become empty, that the 1-Light has expanded attachment and also taken care of us, that the One who takes care of us has also led us into illusion, that things seem to change and contract and expand without any sort of set understandable method (at least not to most of us). The movement of the One cannot be fully understood.
So what is to be done? What is to be done instead of looking for answers and understanding what we are incapable of? What is to be done instead of being so consumed with the desire to know that we think that introducing extreme levels of stubborn focus or discipline will bring us answers? The Guru says we ought not to even look for the final answers! This is what exhausts us. This is what causes us to have doubts and confusion within.
We can get rid of these things when we attach our consciousness to the One, to the play of the One, to the Identification with the One, to the Vastness of the One. When we appreciate the wonder and the play for what it is instead of what we understand it to be, that is when we can feel awe at the way of the 1-Light instead of frustration at not understanding it. It is when we can bear witness, and it is when simply witnessing is enough to remove our doubts and conflicts and illusions from within.
Are we enjoying the world-play? Are we witnessing in awe?
The Guru says that no one can really understand the modus operandi of the 1-Light. But because we are humans, our instinct and nature always want to know how things work and understand them. We are constantly looking to understand — regardless of the nature of the complexity of things. And we see this in the ways that humans study various things. We have psychology and philosophy, and various sciences. We have interesting theories and explanations for so many things, from human behavior to the nature of existence to the illusion of time. But the Guru emphasizes the unpredictable way of the 1-Light: that a king becomes a pauper and a pauper becomes a king, that the empty ones become filled and the filled ones become empty, that the 1-Light has expanded attachment and also taken care of us, that the One who takes care of us has also led us into illusion, that things seem to change and contract and expand without any sort of set understandable method (at least not to most of us). The movement of the One cannot be fully understood.
So what is to be done? What is to be done instead of looking for answers and understanding what we are incapable of? What is to be done instead of being so consumed with the desire to know that we think that introducing extreme levels of stubborn focus or discipline will bring us answers? The Guru says we ought not to even look for the final answers! This is what exhausts us. This is what causes us to have doubts and confusion within.
We can get rid of these things when we attach our consciousness to the One, to the play of the One, to the Identification with the One, to the Vastness of the One. When we appreciate the wonder and the play for what it is instead of what we understand it to be, that is when we can feel awe at the way of the 1-Light instead of frustration at not understanding it. It is when we can bear witness, and it is when simply witnessing is enough to remove our doubts and conflicts and illusions from within.
Are we enjoying the world-play? Are we witnessing in awe?
Tags
