hari sati sate mere bābulā hari jan mili janñ suhandī.
pevakṛai hari japi suhelī vici sāhuraṛai kharī sohandī.
sāhuraṛai vici kharī sohandī jini pevakṛai nāmu samāliā.
sabhu saphalio janamu tinā dā gurmukhi jinā manu jiṇi pāsā ḍhāliā.
hari sant janā mili kāraju sohiā varu pāiā purakhu anandī.
hari sati sati mere bābolā hari jan mili janñ suohandī.3.
-Guru Granth Sahib 78
This Sabad’s second pauri (stanza) holds a special place during the wedding ceremony. After reciting the four stanzas of the Lavan composition and six stanzas of Anand Sahib, the second stanza of this Sabad is either sung or recited. Within this Sabad, the Guru uses the metaphor of worldly marriage to impart guidance on life’s path. The first stanza addresses how one can experience IkOankar, suggesting that this union is attainable by embracing the Guru’s wisdom and recognizing the value within the realm of IkOankar while living in the earthly world. The second stanza expresses the joy of experiencing IkOankar, while the third stanza emphasizes the union with IkOankar through meeting devotees and the subsequent bliss it brings. In the fourth stanza, IkOankar and IkOankar’s Nam are sought as a dowry, gracefully concluding the process of union with IkOankar. Lastly, this composition conveys that through union with the all-Pervading IkOankar, the seeker’s lineage progresses.
Commentary
Literal Translation
Interpretive Transcreation
Poetical Dimension
Calligraphy
In the third stanza, Guru Ramdas describes how the wedding will take place. The Guru says, the 1-Light is eternal, is ever steady, my dear father. By meeting the beings of the 1-Light, the devotees of the 1-Light, the wedding procession has become beautiful. We spend much time planning our worldly weddings, wanting to ensure that every detail is just as we envisioned. In our worldly weddings, the wedding cannot take place without the two people present. When our worldly weddings are called beautiful, we attribute that to the planning that went into it — maybe the decor, the outfits, perhaps the speeches. In this wedding, the Guru clarifies that the procession is nothing without the Groom, IkOankar (One Creative and Pervasive Force, 1Force, the One). In the union with the transcendent One, we can say that the wedding procession is beautiful because of the company the human-bride, the seeker, has kept. What company are we keeping? Who are our companions? In our worldly weddings, we decide who is in our wedding procession based on multiple factors. In this wedding, in this union, we seek those who will help on this path. Are we in community with those devotees of the 1-Light who can lead us toward union? Who is in our wedding processions? What makes them beautiful? The Guru says that remembering the Nam or Identification with IkOankar in the company of these devotees makes the seeker comfortable in the world and immensely beautiful in the in-law’s house. In a worldly sense, we are anxious about whether we will be comfortable after marriage. Will we ease into this new chapter? Will our lives be stressful? Will we get along with our in-laws? In this union, we are shown to be comfortable and beautiful in this next stage of our lives through Identification with the One. Through singing praises of the One, through Remembrance and Contemplation, we create our own comfort in the next stage of our lives as we journey toward connection.
The Guru says that human-bride, that seeker who has practiced Remembrance and Identification in the parents’ house, becomes immensely beautiful in the in-laws’ house. Those seekers who Identify with the One while living in the world become beautiful in their next phase of seeking connection, of experiencing union. When we take care of Nam, when we remember it and savor it here and now, we become comfortable and beautiful in our union with IkOankar. The Guru says that those Wisdom-oriented seekers find their lives fruitful as they live to conquer their minds instead of trying to conquer the world. Seekers become beautiful through Wisdom-orientedness. Their lives become fruitful. Their tasks become successful. They find honor in the world, here and now. Their minds are conquered and transformed by Identification and Remembrance of the 1-Light. The Guru says that those who have done this have rolled the dice this way. When we speak of rolling the dice, we refer to an element of chance. But if we become Wisdom-oriented and put in the work, if we train, if we join the company of the virtuous ones, if we find community with other devotees if we make an effort to practice Identification and Remembrance here and now, we can roll the dice knowing that there is an assuredness to that action. There is no luck or chance anymore; there is assurance that this will be good and make our lives fruitful and beautiful. We can roll the dice knowing that we will be comfortable, that we are comfortable now, and that we will have even more joy than we have now.
The Guru says by meeting the saintly beings of the 1-Light, the task has become beautiful. The bliss-giving Being has been found as the Bridegroom, as the Spouse. The truthful and divinely-oriented beings make the work of the seeker beautiful. They lead the seeker to the Spouse, the One who can bestow constant bliss. The Guru again speaks from the register of the human-bride and says, the 1-Light is eternal, is ever steady, my dear father. By meeting the beings of the 1-Light, the devotees of the 1-Light, the wedding procession has become beautiful. We all look for joy in our next phase of life. We can assuredly find that joy through the company of the truth-oriented beings who help us through this next phase. When the Wisdom acts as the seeker’s father, facilitating the marriage and the company of truth-oriented beings, we find our joy exponential and our comfort constant. We do not have the anxieties surrounding worldly wedding ceremonies in this wedding ceremony. We find only beauty. Will we pursue this marriage? Will we seek this company? Will we roll these dice?
The Guru says that human-bride, that seeker who has practiced Remembrance and Identification in the parents’ house, becomes immensely beautiful in the in-laws’ house. Those seekers who Identify with the One while living in the world become beautiful in their next phase of seeking connection, of experiencing union. When we take care of Nam, when we remember it and savor it here and now, we become comfortable and beautiful in our union with IkOankar. The Guru says that those Wisdom-oriented seekers find their lives fruitful as they live to conquer their minds instead of trying to conquer the world. Seekers become beautiful through Wisdom-orientedness. Their lives become fruitful. Their tasks become successful. They find honor in the world, here and now. Their minds are conquered and transformed by Identification and Remembrance of the 1-Light. The Guru says that those who have done this have rolled the dice this way. When we speak of rolling the dice, we refer to an element of chance. But if we become Wisdom-oriented and put in the work, if we train, if we join the company of the virtuous ones, if we find community with other devotees if we make an effort to practice Identification and Remembrance here and now, we can roll the dice knowing that there is an assuredness to that action. There is no luck or chance anymore; there is assurance that this will be good and make our lives fruitful and beautiful. We can roll the dice knowing that we will be comfortable, that we are comfortable now, and that we will have even more joy than we have now.
The Guru says by meeting the saintly beings of the 1-Light, the task has become beautiful. The bliss-giving Being has been found as the Bridegroom, as the Spouse. The truthful and divinely-oriented beings make the work of the seeker beautiful. They lead the seeker to the Spouse, the One who can bestow constant bliss. The Guru again speaks from the register of the human-bride and says, the 1-Light is eternal, is ever steady, my dear father. By meeting the beings of the 1-Light, the devotees of the 1-Light, the wedding procession has become beautiful. We all look for joy in our next phase of life. We can assuredly find that joy through the company of the truth-oriented beings who help us through this next phase. When the Wisdom acts as the seeker’s father, facilitating the marriage and the company of truth-oriented beings, we find our joy exponential and our comfort constant. We do not have the anxieties surrounding worldly wedding ceremonies in this wedding ceremony. We find only beauty. Will we pursue this marriage? Will we seek this company? Will we roll these dice?
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