jo prānī nisi dinu bhajai rūp rām tih jānu.
hari jan hari antaru nahī nānak sācī mānu.29.
-Guru Granth Sahib 1427
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
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In the twenty-ninth stanza, Guru Teghbahadar says, the being who praises the beautiful One day and night is the embodiment of the beautiful One. There is no difference between the beings of the 1-Light and the 1-Light. Consider this to be the eternal truth.
In previous stanzas, the Guru shows us what we have been running after, despite being people with very little time. The Guru lovingly has this difficult conversation with us by reasserting that we have the potential and the capability to become the beautiful One and become 1-Light. This happens when we stop running after entanglement every day, and instead run after recitation or remembrance. This is what transforms us into the embodiment of the beautiful charming One, the 1-Light. We can look for the beautiful One by looking for the person who is living in remembrance, day and night. There is no difference between that person and the 1-Light.
This is a sort of light at the end of the tunnel for all seekers. It is not just that we have the potential to remember, it is that we have the potential to embody, to become Hari because our state of existence is that of the One. This is a potential that is open to anyone and everyone and it all depends on what we do daily in our own minds. This is empowerment! This is the Guru saying to us, I know what being a human does to you, how it can be distracting, how it can cause pain, how hard it is, and what comes out of you when i-iness takes over. But it is okay, keep your focus, keep your mind clean and work on your behaviors, make remembrance your habit, and you will rightfully claim to be the Divine Self. The Guru has called us clever and wise, the Guru has called us ‘friend,’ the Guru has gently reminded us of our potential. We have been shown all of the ways we can develop, and now we are being reminded that if we simply practice this remembrance daily, if we make a habit of it, we will understand that we do not need to look for IkOankar externally. We can find IkOankar within our own selves.
In previous stanzas, the Guru shows us what we have been running after, despite being people with very little time. The Guru lovingly has this difficult conversation with us by reasserting that we have the potential and the capability to become the beautiful One and become 1-Light. This happens when we stop running after entanglement every day, and instead run after recitation or remembrance. This is what transforms us into the embodiment of the beautiful charming One, the 1-Light. We can look for the beautiful One by looking for the person who is living in remembrance, day and night. There is no difference between that person and the 1-Light.
This is a sort of light at the end of the tunnel for all seekers. It is not just that we have the potential to remember, it is that we have the potential to embody, to become Hari because our state of existence is that of the One. This is a potential that is open to anyone and everyone and it all depends on what we do daily in our own minds. This is empowerment! This is the Guru saying to us, I know what being a human does to you, how it can be distracting, how it can cause pain, how hard it is, and what comes out of you when i-iness takes over. But it is okay, keep your focus, keep your mind clean and work on your behaviors, make remembrance your habit, and you will rightfully claim to be the Divine Self. The Guru has called us clever and wise, the Guru has called us ‘friend,’ the Guru has gently reminded us of our potential. We have been shown all of the ways we can develop, and now we are being reminded that if we simply practice this remembrance daily, if we make a habit of it, we will understand that we do not need to look for IkOankar externally. We can find IkOankar within our own selves.
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