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Guru Teghbahadar Sahib describes, from the first-person perspective, an individual who ignores the teachings of the Wisdom (Guru) and remains trapped in slander and material pleasures. One is reminded that they can only be liberated by IkOankar (the Divine).
sāraṅg   mahalā  9.  
 
man  kari  kabhū  na  hari  gun  gāio.  
bikhiāsakat  rahio  nisi  bāsur   kīno  apno  bhāio.1.  rahāu.  
gur  updesu  sunio  nahi  kānani   par  dārā  lapṭāio.  
par  nindā  kārani  bahu  dhāvat   samjhio  nah  samjhāio.1.  
kahā  kahaü  mai  apunī  karnī   jih  bidhi  janamu  gavāio.  
kahi  nānak    sabh  aügan  mo  mahi   rākhi  lehu  sarnāio.2.4.3.13.139.4.159.  
-Guru  Granth  Sahib  1231-1232  
Commentary
Literal Translation
Interpretive Transcreation
Poetical Dimension
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In the fourth composition, Guru Teghbahadar addresses the mind and says, I never sang the virtues of the 1-Light with a focused mind. I remained engrossed in Maya, material attachment, night and day. I only did what was pleasing to me. The Guru is showing us how to admit that we have not done the things that we know will help rid us of what we are bound up in. We are shown how to admit that we made the choice to continue to chase what pleased us, that we immersed ourselves in attachment and relished it, that we never sang the virtues of the 1-Light, IkOankar (One Universal Integrative Force, 1Force, the One), willfully and intently. We might have tried to sing the virtues while engrossed, but because our love was attached to the poison of material attachment, our singing was not genuine, and our hearts were not in it. Maybe we thought if we sang, it would be a quick fix, or we thought it would serve as a reset on all of the time and effort we have put into that which is temporary. But without clear intentions and presence of mind, we have found that singing the virtues does nothing to help us. There is no end to people who sing the praises, but are we doing it to change our minds? Is our behavior changing? Outwardly singing won’t internally help if our minds are not there; the internal is not also singing.  
  
I never sang the virtues of the 1-Light with a focused mind. The Guru continues from the admission that we have not sung with our minds to the admission that we did not listen to the teachings of Wisdom with our ears. Maybe we heard them, but we remained clung to something else. The Guru gives examples of clinging to another’s spouse, wrapping ourselves around other people, other relationships. The Guru also gives the example of making a lot of effort to critique and slander others, that we still do not understand the Wisdom even when it is explained to us. The admission here is that we did not listen, and the result is that we are motivated and driven by. We are driven by the libel of others, the relationships of others, the possessions of others. We are constantly looking around us, concerned about everyone else and their possessions and relationships. We are unsatisfied, walking through the world external-facing, comparing and seeking what others have. There is no effort, time, or attention left for Wisdom’s teachings. This is an active choice that we have made. We have chosen to reflect on the “other,” we have chosen to feed our poisons, we have chosen not to understand.  
  
I never sang the virtues of the 1-Light with a focused mind. The Guru shows us how to reflect on our choices and address IkOankar by asking what we can even say about what we have been doing. We cannot even begin to explain what we have done, the reasons for which we have wasted the gift of this life. All we can do is supplicate. All we can do is submit and admit that all non-virtues are within us. All flaws are within us. All we can do is come to the sanctuary of the One and ask for help, ask for protection from the poisons that cause us to forget IkOankar.  
  
We know what we have done. We know what we have chosen. We know that we have not attempted to change our behaviors and develop love for the Eternal because we were too busy enjoying being in love with the temporary. But the Guru is showing us how to say all of this, how to own the choices we have made, and acknowledge that we have put ourselves here by feeding our poison, that this did not happen by chance. Just as we had agency in getting into this, we have agency in getting out of it, and we do not have to do it alone. Will we be brave enough to own our choices and come to the sanctuary of the 1-Light? Will we be brave enough to ask for help?


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