maraṇu na mandā lokā ākhīai je mari jāṇai aisā koi.
sevihu sāhibu sammrathu āpaṇā panthu suhelā āgai hoi.
panthi suhelai jāvahu tāṁ phalu pāvahu āgai milai vaḍāī.
bheṭai siu jāvahu saci samāvahu tāṁ pati lekhai pāī.
mahalī jāi pāvahu khasmai bhāvahu raṅg siu ralīā māṇai.
maraṇu na mandā lokā ākhīai je koī mari jāṇai.2.
-Guru Granth Sahib 579
This composition is based on the Panjabi folk poetic form Alahania related to death. In the first stanza, it is stated that death is inevitable and is as per the command of IkOankar (the Divine). The being is, therefore, advised to connect with IkOankar. In the second stanza, unlike the worldly understanding, death is considered good. For a dignified death, the being is encouraged to lead a truthful life in the remembrance of IkOankar. The third stanza conveys that the death of such beings is honorable, and it advises all beings to live in humility. In the fourth stanza, these ideas are summed up by affirming the temporariness of the world. It reminds us that every being who has come to this world has to leave it in the end. IkOankar alone knows the workings of this world. Therefore, instead of crying over death, live in the remembrance of IkOankar.
Commentary
Literal Translation
Interpretive Transcreation
Poetical Dimension
Calligraphy
In the second stanza, Guru Nanak says, O people! Death should not be called bad if one knows how to die. But only a rare one knows this. If we knew how to die, if we knew how to prepare for our inevitable departures, we would not call death bad. We would understand it as part of the Command of IkOankar (One Creative and Pervasive Force, 1Force, the One). We would accordingly prepare so that we may die mastering the opportunity of this life to do something worthwhile. So what can we do? The Guru says, serve your all-capable Master, your Sovereign, so that the path ahead can become easy. How do we make the most of our time here? By serving the One, by practicing devotion to the One through remembrance, Identification, and praise! If we are able to walk this easy path, if we come to the Court with that remembrance and that contemplation as an offering, we will receive the fruit of union with the Sovereign and find honor in the Court. This is how we will become endearing to the Sovereign. This is how we will find our place in that eternal Abode. This is how we will experience the bliss of the One’s presence and lovingly enjoy constant union and connection.
Guru Nanak is contextualizing death for us. Death is our reason for crying. We witness it so many times throughout our lifetimes, but we still struggle with it. We still struggle to understand it and see it as part of the larger Command. If we knew what death was, if we understood it, we would understand how to die. The way we live our lives would change because we would understand death as a joy instead of a sorrow. This is what happens when we cultivate a relationship with death. We shift our behaviors. We spend our time in Remembrance and Identification. We practice devotion. This is what connects us with the Sovereign while we are alive, and it is what becomes our offering when it is time to depart for that Court. This is what will make dying feel like a celebration, a surrendering of the self and of all our acts of devotion.
The Guru is asking us to reframe our understanding of what death is — what it means to die. If we can do this, our entire relationship with how to live will shift. The things we spend time and effort on will shift. Will we change the way we think about death? Will we serve the Sovereign through devotion and remembrance while we are still living? Will we find our place in that eternal Abode?
Guru Nanak is contextualizing death for us. Death is our reason for crying. We witness it so many times throughout our lifetimes, but we still struggle with it. We still struggle to understand it and see it as part of the larger Command. If we knew what death was, if we understood it, we would understand how to die. The way we live our lives would change because we would understand death as a joy instead of a sorrow. This is what happens when we cultivate a relationship with death. We shift our behaviors. We spend our time in Remembrance and Identification. We practice devotion. This is what connects us with the Sovereign while we are alive, and it is what becomes our offering when it is time to depart for that Court. This is what will make dying feel like a celebration, a surrendering of the self and of all our acts of devotion.
The Guru is asking us to reframe our understanding of what death is — what it means to die. If we can do this, our entire relationship with how to live will shift. The things we spend time and effort on will shift. Will we change the way we think about death? Will we serve the Sovereign through devotion and remembrance while we are still living? Will we find our place in that eternal Abode?
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