hāhai hari kathā būjhu tūṁ mūṛe tā sadā sukhu hoī.
manmukhi paṛahi tetā dukhu lāgai viṇu satigur mukati na hoī.16.
-Guru Granth Sahib 435
The Patti by Guru Amardas Sahib comprises eighteen stanzas (couplets), each containing two lines. The first stanza is followed by the rahau, which informs that the study of mere worldly accounting and writing systems is futile unless they help the being to introspect about their deeds in life. The remaining stanzas are addressed to the Pandit, the teacher, and it is stated: O foolish Pandit, you never remember IkOankar. You will regret wasting your life when you depart from this world. You are not on the path and are also leading your students astray. Though you read religious texts, you do not put them into practice. You are consumed by material attachment. This life is an opportunity to connect with the all-pervading IkOankar, but you live in ignorance. Whereas those who connect with the Wisdom (Guru) and sing praises of IkOankar settle all their accounts and are honored in the court of IkOankar.
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Literal Translation
Interpretive Transcreation
Poetical Dimension
Calligraphy
O mind! What kind of account have you studied that giving the account of your deeds has remained hanging over your head? Delivering the message through the letter ਹ (‘hāhā,’ #5), Guru Amardas elucidates for us that without divine wisdom, liberation from the attachment of Maya (the allure of transient things and relationships) is uncertain. Like a feather in the wind, we can fly if we can shed the accounts on our heads. Identifying with Nam (Identification with IkOankar) can relieve us from the baggage of our accounts. We assume that materialistic things bring us joy, but the worldly glitter often eventually disappoints. Focus on materialism only increases our complexities, problems, and restlessness when the inner illuminator, Hari (1-Light), a synonymous divine name for IkOankar (One Creative and Pervasive Force, 1Force, the One), is completely missing from our daily narratives. The One is out of sight, out of mind, and out of our lives for us. To invite solace and end our sorrows forever, we ought to understand the narrative of true Wisdom (Guru) and embody it in our lives in thought, speech, and action. Due to our fixations about the divine experience, we cannot experience the One authentically. Our definitions bind us. We assume fulfillment of temporary desires as a sign of knowing the true One. We go to those Pandits, those intellectuals, experts, and coaches who teach us worldly ways to make the One ‘happy.’ As we get shoved in darkness, these ways only increase our pain. 1-Light is not transactional—1-Light is unconditional. Eternal wisdom helps us to discover the unconditional ultimate comfort, which is painless, universal, and infinite. What do we define as comfort, solace, or peace? If it means traveling to the Bahamas, building a house, or achieving a size-zero figure, then we need a travel agent, nutritionist, or architect. It’s essential to reflect on what we truly seek because our pursuits shape our life outcomes. If we seek eternal Wisdom, we will experience the infinite Wisdom. We ought to honestly ask ourselves: do we want to fulfill another temporary desire or seek something more eternal?
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