Asa is a
rag (musical mode) that traditionally evokes a feeling of hopefulness. It infuses this composition, which reflects on a moment of great violence and upheaval, with a sense of the unshakeable poise that Guru Nanak exhibits — and invites us to experience it.
The four compositions by Guru Nanak, conventionally referred to as
Babarvani (Utterances on Babar)
, describe Babar’s (popular spelling is Babur) invasion of South Asia and overthrow of Lodhi’s regime, which founded the Mughal Empire. In these compositions, Guru Nanak documents the human suffering caused by the invasion and places it into the context of
IkOankar (One Universal Integrative Force, 1Force).
In the first Babarvani composition, Guru Nanak says,
O Creator! You are the caretaker of all! If the powerful strikes the powerful, then no anger is felt in the mind. Guru Nanak begins by describing Babar’s destructive invasion of South Asia as the doing of the Creator who is the cause of everything. This essential truth can be difficult for many of us to understand or accept. Guru Nanak acknowledges this difficulty by giving voice to the spiritual confusion felt by regular people caught in the middle of Babar’s atrocities: Is IkOankar indifferent to human suffering? As the composition soon makes obvious, this question does not reflect any doubts or despair from Guru Nanak. Rather, Guru Nanak is addressing the
doubts and despair of regular people.
O Creator! You are the caretaker of all! If the powerful strikes the powerful, then no anger is felt in the mind. It’s understandable that in moments of grief, people call out directly to the Creator. After all, these ruthless military and political leaders who order terrible acts of horrific violence are themselves utterly subservient to the Creator. But Guru Nanak offers us a profound and challenging insight: The destruction, suffering, and dramatic shifts of political power are an expression of the greatness of the Creator, who unites, separates, creates, and destroys. In the middle of turmoil, Guru Nanak continues to feel the awe of IkOankar. Can we imagine ourselves reacting in such a way? What is that level of awareness and existence?
O Creator! You are the caretaker of all! If the powerful strikes the powerful, then no anger is felt in the mind. Even the most powerful, famous, and wealthy among us — even those who seem to hold others’ lives in their hands — are nothing compared to the Creator. In their attempts to amass influence and wealth, they are as insignificant as insects pecking at grains. The path to true wealth is to surrender to the Creator. In fact, Guru Nanak reveals to us that we must live having died. It’s a paradox — a statement that appears to contradict itself — forcing us to linger and reflect on the idea. We are invited to imagine living as if we were dead — without greed or any of the self-centered urges that often dictate our actions. It may sound to us like a painful sacrifice, but, it’s the path of attainment. Guru Nanak even reveals how to do it: by reciting
Nam, the intuitive wisdom of the 1Force to feel the 1Ness. To live having died means to trade the emptiness of self-centeredness for the fullness of Nam, which is both our connection to the Creator and the Creator’s all-pervasive reality.
During political turmoil and violence, can we still see the 1Ness of IkOankar, the singular perfection in everything? Can we avoid despair and respond productively? Can we dwell in Nam to maintain our poise amid suffering?