Din Raini

Guru Arjan Sahib

Having become lush-green through Nam (Identification with IkOankar, One Creative and Pervasive Force, 1Force, the One) through becoming in touch with the true source of life, this stanza praises IkOankar from the experience of union. We can envision the fully bloomed Self, a fragrant and radiant flower, directly facing the Wisdom-Guru. Expressed in previous stanzas, the theme of heartfelt and earnest asking for union continues, as even within union, a lover pleads to keep experiencing that continued Grace. Guru Arjan begins describing the One here, invoking IkOankar as Prabhu, the Sovereign. Guru Arjan foregrounds the creative power of the One, stating that IkOankar’s power is the support of all, meaning also the support of the devotee, who is honorless without union. Another name for IkOankar, Hari, the all-pervasive One, is invoked. Guru Arjan says in his mind that he has taken refuge in the all-pervasive One; this refuge can be understood as a state of living in Identification with IkOankar. Guru Arjan conveys a relationship with IkOankar which is real and alive day and night, far beyond a static mental reckoning or merely adopting the belief in a creator. This place of union, this connection, doesn’t blossom in isolation. Guru Arjan speaks to the inherent role of community in this journey, specifically the community of Wisdom-oriented beings. Another heartfelt plea emerges as Guru Arjan asks IkOankar to Grace him such that he may remain in the company of the Wisdom-oriented ones. Using the imagery of mingling with the dust of the Wisdom-oriented beings communicates a sublime level of humility that Guru Arjan feels in this experience.

Immersed in union, Guru Arjan exemplifies a beautiful acceptance of the Will of IkOankar. He says to IkOankar, As You keep me, so may I live; may I wear, eat whatever is given by You. Here, Guru Arjan expresses the state of loving acceptance he has entered as a feminine lover of IkOankar, as well as a plea to experience this continued Grace of union. Guru Arjan demonstrates that a devotee attains sustained contentment no matter what happens. This experience arises from the aforementioned merging with Wisdom-oriented beings. As such, Guru Arjan expresses another heartfelt plea: that he may do only those things that lead to singing the praises of IkOankar by being in the company of the Sage-Guru. The Sage-Guru represents the Wisdom-oriented beings, specifically those among them who exemplify strength in practice and discipline. Through witnessing and being in the company of those strong in practice and discipline, a sister-seeker may become stronger and closer in their relationship with IkOankar.

The composition comes to a close here with an immense sense of loving yearning for IkOankar. Through this yearning exemplified by Guru Arjan, a sister-seeker may come to understand the depth of love a devotee experiences for the One. Guru Arjan communicates that in union, IkOankar is the sole place of refuge. There is no other place to go to be ultimately listened to, heard, and understood. Coming into the refuge of the One, the mind is no longer looking for another place to express its pain. Guru Arjan calls out to the all-pervasive One through vast descriptors: O, Destroyer of ignorance! O, Destroyer of darkness! O, highest One! O, unreachable One! O, unfathomable One! Guru Arjan invokes Guru Nanak’s signature again in this stanza, asking IkOankar to unite the separated mind. This is an acknowledgment that, while the mind toys with separation, union with IkOankar is inherent; by eliminating darkness and ignorance in the mind, union is experienced. This union is the pinnacle of joy, happiness, and bliss, expressed through the word kaliyan. Guru Arjan says this kaliyan is experienced on the day he touches the feet of the all-pervasive IkOankar, the feet of the Wisdom-Guru. In this context, touching the feet symbolizes the blossoming of union in the mind, as the rounds of mentorship and learning between the Wisdom-Guru and the sister-seeker have come full circle. With this sense of completion, wherein the fruit of Wisdom has ripened within, an immense sense of devotion, gratitude, and humility wells towards one’s teacher. The essence of this experience is captured in this touching of the feet. This essence is when a sister-seeker comes to live in Identification fully, throughout all days and nights.

In this last stanza, Guru Arjan’s sharing reveals the deep love that pervades and defines union. In this love, one recognizes that the bliss of union comes from Grace alone. Here, the plea is to continue to be blessed with the experience of union rather than to long for a new experience that has yet to be realized. For sister-seekers, the presentation of this experience is illuminating and inspiring, guiding us to strive to carry that same essence of love within us. We also come to understand another important element of this path: taking refuge in Identification. In doing so, we recognize that the greatest refuge is in experiencing the One personally and intimately. This also means that at some point along this path of Wisdom-orientedness, our refuge-seeking in other things ought to come to an end, and it will do so given that our yearning and our love are channeled towards IkOankar as Guru Arjan exemplifies.

Guru Arjan highlights the importance of Wisdom-oriented companions twice in this composition. Being in the company of Wisdom-oriented companions, too, happens by IkOankar’s grace, and as such is worthy of our gratitude, our love, and our humility. Wisdom-oriented companionship fulfills an intimate role in our journey; these are the people we relate with on this path, the fellow sister-seekers who long to experience love for IkOankar in the same way Guru Arjan has. Among the Wisdom-oriented beings, all are at different places in their journeys. We can learn from those who demonstrate a relationship with a Wisdom and Truth-oriented lifestyle that we have yet to develop for ourselves. Through these relationships, we learn to praise IkOankar with greater conviction and devotion. In this sense, those beings are the Wisdom-Guru, as they bring further Truth and Wisdom into our lives. This beautiful companionship is something we may come to feel a heartfelt longing for, as Guru Arjan asks to be in the company of these Wisdom-oriented ones.

Guru Arjan shows us that through union, we can live with acceptance in ways we previously thought impossible. This isn’t a resigned acceptance of any sort—it’s not an apathetic response to feeling a lack of control. It’s an acceptance rooted in love and trust in the ultimacy of IkOankar’s Will. While this way of being may be hard to fathom for some, Guru Arjan is rooted in this experience. Even then, he asks for the continued Grace to be kept in this contentment, which remains regardless of what comes to pass. This loving acceptance that IkOankar’s Will prevails is also related to Guru Arjan’s expression that there is nowhere else to go and nobody else to confide in other than IkOankar. When we long to face the One and find contentment in the Will, we naturally realize there is nowhere else to turn, as we know this shift will come through Grace alone. Guru Arjan exemplifies this sentiment by calling out to IkOankar, invoking various ways of relating to the One. Instead of seeking consolation in various people, places, or things, Guru Arjan’s relationship with IkOankar exemplifies that IkOankar is everything to a devotee; IkOankar is recognized as the Source of all, the ultimate Source of contentment, and as such is regarded with immense love. This relationship transcends the limitations of interpersonal relationships with other humans. In this relationship, the pitfalls of misunderstanding vanish, and the limitations of language are immaterial, as IkOankar hears all—even when our mouth remains silent.

When our minds and their transient aspirations align with our true aspirations, we come to touch the feet of our Wisdom-Guru; we come to touch the feet of IkOankar. In this gesture, the journey we have been faithfully walking comes to fruition. We come to bathe in the waters of the eternally crystal clear spring within. Liberation and freedom are experienced; the mind, which previously clung to its notions of separateness, has been broken of its bonds through love. This is moving beyond postulation into the actual experience of IkOankar’s nature as the Destroyer of ignorance and darkness, the highest, unreachable, unfathomable One. We arrived here by filling our days and nights with genuine love, service, and praise-singing of IkOankar, rather than devoting our days and nights to dwelling in the future or the past. Through our consistent love and heeding of the Wisdom-Guru, we reside in union day and night.

Guru Arjan reveals union may not be marked by a cessation of longing or pleading. It’s that in union, a lover asks for continued Grace alone. What are we asking for in our days and nights? Will we come to recognize what we truly ought to be asking for? Will we recognize each and every point on our journey, whether that’s meeting Wisdom-oriented beings or letting go of an attachment, as a sign of Grace?

SUMMARY
In Din Raini, Guru Arjan invites us to look beyond our usual ways of relating to time—how we think about the past, present, and future. We often associate holidays like New Year’s or birthdays with the passage of time and with meaning, such as a fresh start. We often use these days to ask for what we want in our futures or to leave behind what we hope to. More broadly, we tend to view time as a finite resource, often measured in terms of financial, material, or personal gain. For those tired of this paradigm, for those who wish to find meaning otherwise, Guru Arjan clarifies how we truly ought to use our time. To truly receive this message, we are encouraged to listen as if we are sitting in the company of Guru Arjan, hoping to learn from lived experience. By sharing feelings of separation, we connect with those feelings of separation in ourselves. Through this separation, we come to long for union with IkOankar. Guru Arjan shows us the steps on this journey of seeking union, highlighting the importance of service, humility, praise, remembrance, and the company of Wisdom-oriented beings. Central to the journey are Sabad, the Word of Wisdom, and Nam, identification with IkOankar. Guru Arjan shows us that those who cultivate their lives with these virtues are truly the fortunate ones, for the inexplicable and invaluable IkOankar is manifestly experienced in their hearts and minds. They alone flourish. Throughout the composition, Guru Arjan emphasizes the acceptance of the Will regardless of what happens. Further highlighting the steps on the path of union, Guru Arjan asks for continued Grace and pleads to remain ever united with IkOankar. By earnestly listening to Guru Arjan’s voice in this composition, we come to see that the true future for a lover is reunion. The love and yearning a sister-seeker develops carries them through these steps on the path, into the vast and tender love that Guru Arjan experiences for IkOankar.