kaṛīālu mukhe guri giānu driṛāiā rām.
tani premu hari cābaku lāiā rām.
tani premu hari hari lāi cābaku manu jiṇai gurmukhi jītiā.
aghaṛo ghaṛāvai sabadu pāvai apiu hari rasu pītiā.
suṇi sravaṇ bāṇī guri vakhāṇī hari raṅgu turī caṛāiā.
mahā māragu panthu bikhṛā jan nānak pāri laṅghāiā.3.
-Guru Granth Sahib 575
This chant equates the occasion of marriage with human life. For a seeker, human life is also an occasion of joy and enthusiasm because the connection with IkOankar (the Divine) is possible only during one’s lifetime. Guru Ramdas Sahib inspires the seeker to connect with IkOankar. Depicting the human body as a mare, the Guru reveals that the seeker can unite with IkOankar by putting the saddle of Wisdom (Guru) on their body.
Commentary
Literal Translation
Interpretive Transcreation
Poetical Dimension
Calligraphy
In the third stanza, Guru Ramdas shows us how to control and guide these bodies. Just like a bridle is placed in the mouth of a mare to control and guide it, the Wisdom imparts understanding to keep our bodies and minds under control. The bridle is usually made of iron, so the image being conveyed is one of our mouths having iron within them as well. What do we do in the mouth? We speak, sometimes sweetly and sometimes not. Something has to happen in the way we speak — what is the sound being produced in the mouth? Are we speaking tastelessly or singing the melody of the Beautiful One? Singing the melody of the Beautiful One, and continuing to sing it, is not easy. It is hard, like eating iron. But we can do this through the Wisdom. The Guru also invokes the imagery of a mare being whipped to move forward and continue on the path. Just as the whip moves the mare forward, the whip of love and devotion keeps us moving forward on the path to union with IkOankar (One Universal Integrative Force, 1Force, the One). Just wisdom or deeper knowledge is not enough to rein us in from the things in the world which ail us, like Maya, or attachment to the material and our relationships. We need love. Deeper knowledge without love and devotion is dry. Through the guidance of the Wisdom and the motivation of devotion, we can continue to move forward on this path. We can clean ourselves from within and experience this flavor of connection and union in our minds, bodies, and behaviors.
The Guru says that the whip-like love of the 1-Light helps us to conquer our minds. This devotion is what attaches us to the 1-Light, and together with the Wisdom, we are able to win over our minds. It is through devotion to the One, Identification with the One, and the Wisdom of the One that we are able to chisel our unchiseled minds. We become Wisdom-centered; we practice Remembrance with love; we receive the Word-Sound, and drink the ambrosial essence of union with the 1-Light. We enjoy the flavor of that experience.
The Guru says that by listening to the teachings of the Wisdom with the ears, we are able to imbue these mare-like bodies with the love of the Nam. We are able to immerse ourselves in the love of IkOankar. We are urged to listen to the voice of the Guru, to listen to the teachings of the Wisdom with our ears. If we can begin to do that, the color of love for the One will begin to stir within us. This route is long, and this path is difficult. But the Wisdom is there to help us. Deep knowledge and deep devotion will come together and rein us in, keep us on the path, and move us forward on this long journey. Are we willing to listen?
The Guru says that the whip-like love of the 1-Light helps us to conquer our minds. This devotion is what attaches us to the 1-Light, and together with the Wisdom, we are able to win over our minds. It is through devotion to the One, Identification with the One, and the Wisdom of the One that we are able to chisel our unchiseled minds. We become Wisdom-centered; we practice Remembrance with love; we receive the Word-Sound, and drink the ambrosial essence of union with the 1-Light. We enjoy the flavor of that experience.
The Guru says that by listening to the teachings of the Wisdom with the ears, we are able to imbue these mare-like bodies with the love of the Nam. We are able to immerse ourselves in the love of IkOankar. We are urged to listen to the voice of the Guru, to listen to the teachings of the Wisdom with our ears. If we can begin to do that, the color of love for the One will begin to stir within us. This route is long, and this path is difficult. But the Wisdom is there to help us. Deep knowledge and deep devotion will come together and rein us in, keep us on the path, and move us forward on this long journey. Are we willing to listen?
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