ṭhaṭhai ṭhāḍhi vartī tin antari hari carṇī jin̖ kā citu lāgā.
citu lāgā seī jan nistare taü parsādī sukhu pāiā.15.
-Guru Granth Sahib 433
The Patti composition revealed by Guru Nanak Sahib consists of thirty-five stanzas, each containing two lines. This composition is based on the thirty-five letters of the alphabet prevalent at that time. In this composition the Guru has established a foundational system based on letters. In the rahau line, by addressing his own mind, the Guru provides insights, saying, “O fool! Why do you remain forgetful? You will be considered truly educated only when you are able to settle the account of your deeds in IkOankar’s (the Divine) court.” The Guru goes on to explain the mystery of the letters, enlightening that the limits of IkOankar, the Creator, cannot be known. All beings are under IkOankar’s command, and no one else can exercise authority over them. All-pervading IkOankar is the cause of everything in the creation. An arrogant being who forgets IkOankar and is engrossed in worldly matters continues to suffer. However, if a being recognizes the eternal IkOankar through the Wisdom (Guru), they are freed from suffering. The being who understands the mystery explained through these thirty-five letters becomes one with IkOankar.
Commentary
Literal Translation
Interpretive Transcreation
Poetical Dimension
Calligraphy
O mind! Why do you forget, O foolish mind? You will be considered learned only when you give the account of your deeds, O sibling! In the fifteenth couplet, Guru Nanak delivers a message through the letter ਠ (‘ṭhaṭṭhā,’ #17) and says that coolness has prevailed in those whose consciousness is attached to the feet of the 1-Light. What does it mean to attach to the ‘feet’ of IkOankar (One Creative and Pervasive Force, 1Force, the One)? It is to humbly submit to and learn from the One, to serve the Divine, and to live within the Command. The beings who do this find that the heat within them dissipates, and ‘ṭhāḍhi,’ popularly ‘thaadhi,’ coolness, envelops them, and there is satiation, satisfaction, peace, and calmness. Their consciousness is cooled because they have learned to live within the Command, their minds are connected with the Nam (Identification with IkOankar), and they are able to cross this world-ocean through the Grace of the One. These are the seekers who have found comfort, made their lives fruitful, and experienced freedom from worldly entanglements. Will we take these harsh and stubborn minds of ours as described in the last couplet and submit to the One? Will we cultivate humility within ourselves so that we may learn from the Wisdom and serve the One? Will we watch our minds transform from harsh to tender, full of heat to full of coolness?
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