sasai sanjamu gaïo mūṛe eku dānu tudhu kuthāi laïā.
sāī putrī jajmān kī sā terī etu dhāni khādhai terā janamu gaïā.6.
-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.
Commentary
Literal Translation
Interpretive Transcreation
Poetical Dimension
Calligraphy
Inviting reflections on our money-making methods, Guru Amardas says, 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 ਸ (‘sassā,’ #4), the word ‘sanjamu’ appears in this couplet and means ‘restraint.’ This couplet describes how far we go to feed our greed, forsaking all levels of restraint and moral limits. Through the Pandit, the scholars, the intellectuals, or the experts, the Guru invokes the greedy predator that can come out in all of us. In traditional Panjabi culture, accepting money for conducting a daughter’s marriage ceremony was viewed as akin to the abhorrent practice of selling a daughter outright. Guru Amardas wants to know if it was difficult for the Pandit to exercise restraint against earning his income from these unethical actions. Without undermining the importance of financial independence, we are questioned: Can we justify our earnings if we gain them in harmful and unethical ways? In today’s highly commodified world, where we profit by overrunning others and justify our actions with elaborate corporate rhetoric, we are reminded that not every occasion is about making money. We are pulled to reflect on the discrimination we unconsciously level at others. If we identify with Nam and truly consider all of us as part of IkOankar (One Creative and Pervasive Force, 1Force, the One), would we justify our exploits then? Under the guise of so-called intelligence and corporate maximizing, we are profiting from industries and labor that are brutal and cruel. Guru Amardas is bringing our attention to our sources of earnings and nudging us to evaluate if we need to restrain ourselves anywhere, for nothing is worth losing a lifetime’s honor. While we often normalize capitalistic lifestyles because of their pervasiveness, Guru Amardas makes it personal and asks us to question our ways, for our actions will directly impact our consciousness. Is our bank balance worthy enough to increase the line of credit on our heads?
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