hari prabhu mere bābulā hari devahu dānu mai dājo.
hari kapṛo hari sobhā devahu jitu savrai merā kājo.
hari hari bhagtī kāju suhelā guri satiguri dānu divāiā.
khanḍi varbhanḍi hari sobhā hoī ihu dānu na ralai ralāiā.
hori manmukh dāju ji rakhi dikhālahi su kūṛu ahaṅkāru kacu pājo.
hari prabh mere bābulā hari devahu dānu mai dājo.4.
-Guru Granth Sahib 78-79
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 fourth stanza, Guru Ramdas moves into the symbolism of giving dowry, which is traditionally done after a marriage. The Guru reframes this practice in the context of the seeker’s transcendent union with IkOankar (One Creative and Pervasive Force, 1Force, the One) and says, O my dear father, give me Hari-Prabhu, and the gift of Nam as a dowry. This compound of divine names is important. Hari is the 1-Light, the All-Pervasive, the Fear-Eliminator, and the Dispeller of suffering. Prabhu is a name that invokes the royal and godlike nature of the One, whose nature is to fulfill a particular role of goodness and compassion. This is the One who is capable of helping us when no one else can. The Guru shows us how to ask for the gift of the 1-Light, who is Divine, all-capable, and compassionate. We ask for the Identification with the 1-Light as the cloth, as the thing which covers us, as the thing which adorns us, as splendor, as praise. These are the gifts through which the task of union may be set right or completed gracefully.
The Guru says that it is through the devotion of the 1-Light that the task of union has become comforting. Through the devoted Remembrance of and Identification with IkOankar, the task of union with IkOankar becomes pleasant and effortless. Where do we get this gift or dowry of Remembrance and Identification? Where do we get the gift of devotion? IkOankar gives this gift to us through the eternal Wisdom, which guides us and shows us the way to exist in devotion. In this Remembrance and Identification and devotion, in this union, it is as if splendor has permeated every realm of the universe. In worldly marriages, we wonder about our honor and reputation. What will people say about this union? What will they say about the ceremonies and the planning and the company? How will that reflect on us, our families, and our communities? This can be a cause for anxiety. In this wedding, in this union, the seeker who devotedly practices Remembrance and Identification finds honor in every realm. The gift from IkOankar is unparalleled. No other gift can match it. This is why the essential ask of the seeker as the bride is devotion. We cannot think ourselves into it. It must be practiced and experienced. When we practice it and experience it, everything becomes comfortable, pleasant, and anxiety-free.
The Guru says that those beings who are self-centered tend to show off in worldly ceremonies, displaying their dowries as a way to gain honor or repute in their larger communities. But these displays of the worldly dowry are false, temporary, and displays of pride, and false shows. These worldly gifts are just a pretense, and they can build up our egos or cause us great anxiety about our worldly reputations. In this context, the Guru again disrupts the dowries of the physical or worldly wedding ceremony with a gift that transcends these physical things. The Guru shows us seekers or human-brides how to ask the father, the Wisdom, for the gift of Hari-Prabhu, for the gift of Identification, as a dowry. The feminine being can articulate that she is looking for this gift. She can ask because she knows how to ask. She is ready. The Guru is inviting us to speak from that register. Every other gift we ask for or give causes problems, unhappiness, fights, disappointment, abuse, and murders. There is nothing of higher worth than devotion to, Remembrance of, and Identification with the 1-Light. Are we ready to ask for this dowry? Will we seek this gift?
The Guru says that it is through the devotion of the 1-Light that the task of union has become comforting. Through the devoted Remembrance of and Identification with IkOankar, the task of union with IkOankar becomes pleasant and effortless. Where do we get this gift or dowry of Remembrance and Identification? Where do we get the gift of devotion? IkOankar gives this gift to us through the eternal Wisdom, which guides us and shows us the way to exist in devotion. In this Remembrance and Identification and devotion, in this union, it is as if splendor has permeated every realm of the universe. In worldly marriages, we wonder about our honor and reputation. What will people say about this union? What will they say about the ceremonies and the planning and the company? How will that reflect on us, our families, and our communities? This can be a cause for anxiety. In this wedding, in this union, the seeker who devotedly practices Remembrance and Identification finds honor in every realm. The gift from IkOankar is unparalleled. No other gift can match it. This is why the essential ask of the seeker as the bride is devotion. We cannot think ourselves into it. It must be practiced and experienced. When we practice it and experience it, everything becomes comfortable, pleasant, and anxiety-free.
The Guru says that those beings who are self-centered tend to show off in worldly ceremonies, displaying their dowries as a way to gain honor or repute in their larger communities. But these displays of the worldly dowry are false, temporary, and displays of pride, and false shows. These worldly gifts are just a pretense, and they can build up our egos or cause us great anxiety about our worldly reputations. In this context, the Guru again disrupts the dowries of the physical or worldly wedding ceremony with a gift that transcends these physical things. The Guru shows us seekers or human-brides how to ask the father, the Wisdom, for the gift of Hari-Prabhu, for the gift of Identification, as a dowry. The feminine being can articulate that she is looking for this gift. She can ask because she knows how to ask. She is ready. The Guru is inviting us to speak from that register. Every other gift we ask for or give causes problems, unhappiness, fights, disappointment, abuse, and murders. There is nothing of higher worth than devotion to, Remembrance of, and Identification with the 1-Light. Are we ready to ask for this dowry? Will we seek this gift?
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