bāl juānī aru biradhi phuni tīni avasthā jāni.
kahu nānak hari bhajan binu birthā sabh hī mānu.35.
-Guru Granth Sahib 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
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Interpretive Transcreation
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In the thirty-fifth stanza, Guru Teghbahadar says, O being! Understand that childhood, adulthood, and old age are the three stages of life. But without the reflection on the virtues of the 1-Light, consider all these stages to have been wasted.
If we move through all three life stages without praise, we will only feel pride as we go through life. In childhood, we feel pride attached to our parents. In youth, we feel pride attached to our own youth. In old age, we feel pride attached to our legacies — our success, our philanthropy, our education, and our children and grandchildren. There is ample opportunity to fall into this kind of ego and attachment at all life stages, even if it takes different forms. We can also look at these three stages as past, present, and future. If the first stage of life is good, if we work in our childhoods to reflect on the virtues of the 1-Light, then in the second stage of life, there is hope that we will continue to make that effort and continue to feel the effects of that effort. Same too with the third stage. The earlier we begin learning that, the easier it will be to understand and internalize it in our behaviors as we continue through life.
As we go through these stages, have we understood the objective of our lives? Have we understood what makes this particular state of existence beautiful? Have we sung praises of the 1-Light?
If we move through all three life stages without praise, we will only feel pride as we go through life. In childhood, we feel pride attached to our parents. In youth, we feel pride attached to our own youth. In old age, we feel pride attached to our legacies — our success, our philanthropy, our education, and our children and grandchildren. There is ample opportunity to fall into this kind of ego and attachment at all life stages, even if it takes different forms. We can also look at these three stages as past, present, and future. If the first stage of life is good, if we work in our childhoods to reflect on the virtues of the 1-Light, then in the second stage of life, there is hope that we will continue to make that effort and continue to feel the effects of that effort. Same too with the third stage. The earlier we begin learning that, the easier it will be to understand and internalize it in our behaviors as we continue through life.
As we go through these stages, have we understood the objective of our lives? Have we understood what makes this particular state of existence beautiful? Have we sung praises of the 1-Light?
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