janam janam bharmat phirio miṭio na jam ko trāsu.
kahu nānak hari bhaju manā nirbhai pāvahi bāsu.33.
-Guru Granth Sahib 1427-1428
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
Calligraphy
In the thirty-third stanza, Guru Teghbahadar says, the being wandered through several lifetimes, but the fear of death did not go away. O mind! Sing praise of the 1-Light, so that you can find fearless dwelling.
This wandering can be classically interpreted as wandering through multiple literal lifetimes — the Guru tells us that if we are still fearful of coming and going or fearful of death and want to get out of this cycle, we ought to praise and remember and identify with the 1-Light. This is how we will find a dwelling of fearlessness; this is how we will live inside of fearlessness.
This wandering can also be interpreted as the wandering that happens through the many life stages that we have in one lifetime and the shifting fears in childhood, adulthood, and old age. We deal with our small fears. But the fear of death is stuck to us.
Either way, we look at it; fear is still running things whether in this life or our cycles of lives. We live in this fear so profoundly that it becomes the thing that we dwell in. So the way to confront fear is to live in the presence of the 1-Light, praise the 1-Light, and change our place of dwelling from fear into the fearless.
This wandering can be classically interpreted as wandering through multiple literal lifetimes — the Guru tells us that if we are still fearful of coming and going or fearful of death and want to get out of this cycle, we ought to praise and remember and identify with the 1-Light. This is how we will find a dwelling of fearlessness; this is how we will live inside of fearlessness.
This wandering can also be interpreted as the wandering that happens through the many life stages that we have in one lifetime and the shifting fears in childhood, adulthood, and old age. We deal with our small fears. But the fear of death is stuck to us.
Either way, we look at it; fear is still running things whether in this life or our cycles of lives. We live in this fear so profoundly that it becomes the thing that we dwell in. So the way to confront fear is to live in the presence of the 1-Light, praise the 1-Light, and change our place of dwelling from fear into the fearless.
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