pīpā.
kāyaü devā kāiaü deval kāiaü jaṅgam jātī.
kāiaü dhūp dīp naībedā kāiaü pūjaü pātī.1.
kāiā bahu khanḍ khojate navnidhi pāī.
nā kachu āibo nā kachu jāibo rām kī duhāī.1. rahāu.
jo brahmanḍe soī pinḍe jo khojai so pāvai.
pīpā praṇvai param tatu hai satiguru hoi lakhāvai.2.3.
-Guru Granth Sahib 695
Bhagat Pipa Ji states that instead of looking for IkOankar (the Divine) outside, he has found IkOankar within. He has experienced IkOankar within his body and has received all the blessings. IkOankar is everything and pervades everywhere. The realization of IkOankar’s pervasiveness removes the fear of birth and death.
Commentary
Literal Translation
Interpretive Transcreation
Poetical Dimension
Calligraphy
This composition is attributed to Bhagat Pipa, a Rajasthani ruler who renounced his throne to become a bhagat (devoted being). He was one of the fifteen Bhagat contributors, and this is the only composition attributed to him in the Guru Granth Sahib. According to historical sources, Bhagat Pipa was originally a devotee of the Hindu goddess Durga and was a contemporary of Guru Nanak. In his previous position as a ruler, Bhagat Pipa was expected to gatekeep the route to the Nam, or Identification with the Beautiful One, Ram, another name for IkOankar. And yet, he directly refuted the thinking that deemed some ‘unworthy’ of realizing the Beautiful One because of their caste background or gender. In this composition, he shares personal insight on his encounter with the formless Divine, set to Rag Dhanasari, which denotes contentment and cheerfulness and conveys a sense of fulfillment upon realizing the Beautiful One resounding within oneself.
I proclaim in the name of Ram! The Beautiful One is everything and all-pervasive; this realization removes the fear of birth and death. We may say that this couplet represents the crux of Bhagat Pipa’s experience and can explore and highlight several things. However, before delving further, let’s address the main object of this composition: the body. By professing throughout that the body is the place in which the Beautiful One is to be found, Bhagat Pipa is doing something that, at that time and even today, is somewhat controversial or counterintuitive. While he echoes that we are in a state of ‘comings and goings’ from which we hope to be liberated, he locates the realization of the Beautiful One in something that could not be more representative of the fleeting human world– the body itself. Why? And what does it mean? He suggests that external displays like incense, food, lamps, asceticism, and pilgrimages are useless for fulfillment. Only the body and the mind can serve as an offering as we reflect deeply on the Nam of the Beautiful One. We can find the Beautiful One within ourselves instead of wandering outside, replete with these signs. Bhagat Pipa turns away any spiritual and religious hierarchy among people here; no person is more able to access the Nam than any other by the grace and beauty of the One. It is a powerful message in a world that is, and perhaps has always been, preoccupied with hierarchy.
I proclaim in the name of Ram! The Beautiful One is everything and all-pervasive; this realization removes the fear of birth and death. The body is described as another realm among realms and identified as the place where the “Nine Treasures” are realized. What are these Nine Treasures? The Nine Treasures represent an idea invoked in all kinds of Indic spiritual, philosophical, and religious contexts associated with “gods” of wealth. However, here, we can understand this as a metaphor for what would fulfill us. Bhagat Pipa uses the Nine Treasures to refer to the Nam of the Beautiful One, the realization of which is the route to ending the cycle of living and dying. Upon realizing Nam, Bhagat Pipa remarks that comings and goings, meaning rebirth and death, are ended.
I proclaim in the name of Ram! The Beautiful One is everything and all-pervasive; this realization removes the fear of birth and death. Bhagat Pipa’s word choice, “duhai,” inspires a profound and loving realization of the Beautiful One. “Duhai” is often translated as “to pray for mercy.” Bhagat Pipa uses this term because of its richly layered meaning, including clamor or cry out, seeking justice or mercy, or even taking an oath on a deeply respected person. We can say that duhai encapsulates awe, reverence, and dependence upon an entity, in this case, the Beautiful One, without whom our lives are unfulfilled.
The body, we pause, is a direct and clear sign of the human life with which we have been blessed. This human life is often invoked as the greatest gift because it affords us the rare opportunity to seek unity with the Beautiful One through the eternal Nam. Taking a step back and considering the revolutionary universality of Bhagat Pipa’s message, we may wonder what kind of body is described. The answer, of course, is there is no specific body described. The body is simply the corporeal manifestation of being, the self that we can wander the world from within. The world created by Ram, IkOankar, is a sweet reminder of the beauty of the One. As such, if we consider the relevance of Bhagat Pipa’s composition today, we find so much to be inspired by. His message does not consider dis/ability, standards of beauty, strength, race, class, caste, origin, gender, or age as bearing factors upon the body’s status as a venue for accessing the universal Nam that permeates all. It includes these human forms in which we make our living. This composition reminds us that our seeking of the Beautiful One, our seeking of the eternal Nam, cuts across body politics and prejudice of all kinds, in all places, to a universal, Beautiful One who pervades the universe also dwells in the body; whoever seeks the Beautiful One finds the Beautiful One there.
Does this inspire us to care for our body, health, and wellness as we recognize the Beautiful One in us? Can we care for the well-being of our loved ones, our families, our communities, and those around us as a remembrance of the Beautiful One? How does Bhagat Pipa’s composition inspire us to shed our concerns for our status and instead listen closely to the sweet echoes of the Beautiful One?
I proclaim in the name of Ram! The Beautiful One is everything and all-pervasive; this realization removes the fear of birth and death. We may say that this couplet represents the crux of Bhagat Pipa’s experience and can explore and highlight several things. However, before delving further, let’s address the main object of this composition: the body. By professing throughout that the body is the place in which the Beautiful One is to be found, Bhagat Pipa is doing something that, at that time and even today, is somewhat controversial or counterintuitive. While he echoes that we are in a state of ‘comings and goings’ from which we hope to be liberated, he locates the realization of the Beautiful One in something that could not be more representative of the fleeting human world– the body itself. Why? And what does it mean? He suggests that external displays like incense, food, lamps, asceticism, and pilgrimages are useless for fulfillment. Only the body and the mind can serve as an offering as we reflect deeply on the Nam of the Beautiful One. We can find the Beautiful One within ourselves instead of wandering outside, replete with these signs. Bhagat Pipa turns away any spiritual and religious hierarchy among people here; no person is more able to access the Nam than any other by the grace and beauty of the One. It is a powerful message in a world that is, and perhaps has always been, preoccupied with hierarchy.
I proclaim in the name of Ram! The Beautiful One is everything and all-pervasive; this realization removes the fear of birth and death. The body is described as another realm among realms and identified as the place where the “Nine Treasures” are realized. What are these Nine Treasures? The Nine Treasures represent an idea invoked in all kinds of Indic spiritual, philosophical, and religious contexts associated with “gods” of wealth. However, here, we can understand this as a metaphor for what would fulfill us. Bhagat Pipa uses the Nine Treasures to refer to the Nam of the Beautiful One, the realization of which is the route to ending the cycle of living and dying. Upon realizing Nam, Bhagat Pipa remarks that comings and goings, meaning rebirth and death, are ended.
I proclaim in the name of Ram! The Beautiful One is everything and all-pervasive; this realization removes the fear of birth and death. Bhagat Pipa’s word choice, “duhai,” inspires a profound and loving realization of the Beautiful One. “Duhai” is often translated as “to pray for mercy.” Bhagat Pipa uses this term because of its richly layered meaning, including clamor or cry out, seeking justice or mercy, or even taking an oath on a deeply respected person. We can say that duhai encapsulates awe, reverence, and dependence upon an entity, in this case, the Beautiful One, without whom our lives are unfulfilled.
The body, we pause, is a direct and clear sign of the human life with which we have been blessed. This human life is often invoked as the greatest gift because it affords us the rare opportunity to seek unity with the Beautiful One through the eternal Nam. Taking a step back and considering the revolutionary universality of Bhagat Pipa’s message, we may wonder what kind of body is described. The answer, of course, is there is no specific body described. The body is simply the corporeal manifestation of being, the self that we can wander the world from within. The world created by Ram, IkOankar, is a sweet reminder of the beauty of the One. As such, if we consider the relevance of Bhagat Pipa’s composition today, we find so much to be inspired by. His message does not consider dis/ability, standards of beauty, strength, race, class, caste, origin, gender, or age as bearing factors upon the body’s status as a venue for accessing the universal Nam that permeates all. It includes these human forms in which we make our living. This composition reminds us that our seeking of the Beautiful One, our seeking of the eternal Nam, cuts across body politics and prejudice of all kinds, in all places, to a universal, Beautiful One who pervades the universe also dwells in the body; whoever seeks the Beautiful One finds the Beautiful One there.
Does this inspire us to care for our body, health, and wellness as we recognize the Beautiful One in us? Can we care for the well-being of our loved ones, our families, our communities, and those around us as a remembrance of the Beautiful One? How does Bhagat Pipa’s composition inspire us to shed our concerns for our status and instead listen closely to the sweet echoes of the Beautiful One?
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