bābā āiā hai uṭhi calṇā adh pandhai hai sansārovā.
siri siri sacṛai likhiā dukhu sukhu purabi vīcārovā.
dukhu sukhu dīā jehā kīā so nibahai jīa nāle.
jehe karam karāe kartā dūjī kār na bhāle.
āpi nirālamu dhandhai bādhī kari hukamu chaḍāvaṇhāro.
aju kali kardiā kālu biāpai dūjai bhāi vikāro.2.
-Guru Granth Sahib 581
This composition is based on the Panjabi folk poetic form Alahania related to death. The first stanza guides the being to realize the Creator as pervading everywhere and in everyone. The second stanza conveys that the birth and death of a being and their deeds are under the will of the Creator. The third stanza mentions the obstacles that a being engrossed in vices faces on the path hereafter. The fourth stanza distinguishes between the state of the being connected with Nam and the one devoid of Nam. The one connected receives honor in the Court, whereas those devoid of Nam gain nothing despite toiling away.
Commentary
Literal Translation
Interpretive Transcreation
Poetical Dimension
Calligraphy
In the second stanza, Guru Nanak, addressing all of us, invokes the word Baba. Baba refers to those who manifest, express, and embody the Wisdom. It refers to all of us and the wisdom within us—the potential we have to embody the Wisdom. The Guru appeals to that wisdom within us and says, O Baba! Whoever has come will depart. This world is only a halfway station. This world is not the destination or the endpoint. It is only a stop on the path we are navigating. Whoever has come here must leave. The eternal Creator has inscribed the writ on every head. It has been written! All our suffering and comfort happen in accordance with the deliberation of previous deeds. These deeds are what last with us. Whatever the Creator causes us to do, that is what we do. We cannot act outside of this Will of IkOankar (One Creative and Pervasive Force, 1Force, the One). The Creator, who has entangled us in worldly attachments and relationships, is untouched by these things. The Creator is the One who liberates us from these entanglements. All of this happens within the Command. We are indulged in vices, in forgetfulness of the One due to the love of other things and duality. Day by day, we waste our lives away in vain until, at the last moment, death arrives. Death does not delay.
The word Baba comes very quickly within this composition, just in the second stanza, because the message really requires us to be open to the Wisdom contained within it. We must be softened and open to the reality that this world is not the end. We must be open and softened to the reality that everything we experience is written for us from the Origin by the One. The One’s Writ is under One’s Command. This is easy to accept when what is written is joyous and comfortable. It is much harder to accept when what is written is sorrow, grief, and hardship. These things we experience, comforts and pains, are the life-force within us. They are not of the physical body. Going through them is part of this journey, and the Guru is acknowledging that difficult reality. We are urged to understand that we will do whatever the One has written for us. There is no need to look for something else. We spend a lot of our time wishing for other people’s experiences, convincing ourselves that others have it easier than us, and asking ourselves why bad things are happening to us and not someone else. The Guru is urging us to accept the things that we experience, regardless of whether they are ‘good’ or ‘bad.’ We can take the example of the One, who is not entangled in this world, in the attachment of this world, who is not engrossed in it.
How can we also be detached, like a lotus on top of the water? It starts with an acknowledgment that everything is happening within the One’s system, within the One’s command, including whatever we might be caught up in at one time. The hopeful and encouraging thing is that it is also within that Command for the One to take us out of these entanglements. Our effort is required – to remove our duality and our love for the other, which will take us out of our indulgence in vices and help us develop a loving and devoted relationship with the One and not be fixated on the Writ of the One. Will we make that effort? Will we become in the world and not of it? Will we accept our experiences as part of the Command that operates in this halfway station? Will we not delay today or tomorrow? Will we begin now?
The word Baba comes very quickly within this composition, just in the second stanza, because the message really requires us to be open to the Wisdom contained within it. We must be softened and open to the reality that this world is not the end. We must be open and softened to the reality that everything we experience is written for us from the Origin by the One. The One’s Writ is under One’s Command. This is easy to accept when what is written is joyous and comfortable. It is much harder to accept when what is written is sorrow, grief, and hardship. These things we experience, comforts and pains, are the life-force within us. They are not of the physical body. Going through them is part of this journey, and the Guru is acknowledging that difficult reality. We are urged to understand that we will do whatever the One has written for us. There is no need to look for something else. We spend a lot of our time wishing for other people’s experiences, convincing ourselves that others have it easier than us, and asking ourselves why bad things are happening to us and not someone else. The Guru is urging us to accept the things that we experience, regardless of whether they are ‘good’ or ‘bad.’ We can take the example of the One, who is not entangled in this world, in the attachment of this world, who is not engrossed in it.
How can we also be detached, like a lotus on top of the water? It starts with an acknowledgment that everything is happening within the One’s system, within the One’s command, including whatever we might be caught up in at one time. The hopeful and encouraging thing is that it is also within that Command for the One to take us out of these entanglements. Our effort is required – to remove our duality and our love for the other, which will take us out of our indulgence in vices and help us develop a loving and devoted relationship with the One and not be fixated on the Writ of the One. Will we make that effort? Will we become in the world and not of it? Will we accept our experiences as part of the Command that operates in this halfway station? Will we not delay today or tomorrow? Will we begin now?
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