jāṇo sati hovanto marṇo drisṭeṇ mithiā.
kīrati sāthi calantho bhaṇanti nānak sādh saṅgeṇ.3.
-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 third salok, Guru Arjan urges us to know the One having eternal existence, IkOankar (One Universal Integrative Force, 1Force), as true and eternal, and the transient visible beings and creation — the things which die — as false or temporary. The Guru uses the word mithya here, which often gets translated as false and means temporary. It is not that the world is not real; it is just not absolutely Real. It is not that life on earth is false and, therefore, we ought not to take part in it. Instead, when we root ourselves only in the temporary, when we fool ourselves into thinking that the things which perish are permanent, what we are doing is straying further and further away from IkOankar, the Eternal. This becomes our lie, the lies we live.
So how do we get to this imperishable One? The Guru says it is through praise and through the love that develops with praise. The only thing that goes with us is praise — not of the temporary, of these bodies, of the things we accumulate, but of the eternal One. And that praise is to be sung in the company of the virtuous beings who are helpful to us. We might think we understand IkOankar’s creation all on our own, but we don’t — we are busy putting others down, we are busy in our own self-deception and we are busy thinking that all of this will last forever. Through companionship with the virtuous beings, we learn how to understand this creation as temporary and the Creator as eternal. Are we ready to transcend our falsities, temporariness, or lies?
So how do we get to this imperishable One? The Guru says it is through praise and through the love that develops with praise. The only thing that goes with us is praise — not of the temporary, of these bodies, of the things we accumulate, but of the eternal One. And that praise is to be sung in the company of the virtuous beings who are helpful to us. We might think we understand IkOankar’s creation all on our own, but we don’t — we are busy putting others down, we are busy in our own self-deception and we are busy thinking that all of this will last forever. Through companionship with the virtuous beings, we learn how to understand this creation as temporary and the Creator as eternal. Are we ready to transcend our falsities, temporariness, or lies?
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