nannai nāh bhog nit bhogai nā ḍīṭhā nā sammhaliā.
galī haü sohāgaṇi bhaiṇe kantu na kabahūṁ mai miliā.23.
-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
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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 twenty-third couplet, Guru Nanak delivers a message through the letter ਨ (‘nannā,’ #25) and says, I have neither seen nor cared for the Sovereign, whose worldly comforts the beings enjoy every day. Through talks, I am a suhagan (happily married bride), O sibling! But the Spouse has never met me. Speaking from the voice of a seeker, the Guru shows us how to admit that we have not ever experienced the presence of the sovereign IkOankar (One Creative and Pervasive Force, 1Force, the One), that we have never cared for the virtues of the One through praise, Identification, and remembrance. The invocation of ‘suhagan’ is important – it refers to a relationship with IkOankar as the Spouse that is intimate and personal. Though we enjoy the worldly pleasures and comforts of the Sovereign daily, we have never contemplated IkOankar in our hearts. We have not experienced this intimate presence. The Guru continues by saying that through conversations and empty talk, we might say we are fortunate connected seekers. We might feel that we know the Beloved IkOankar through these conversations, but we have never actually experienced the presence of the One. We admit this to our siblings. We might attempt to know the One through discussion or empty words, and we might attempt to know the One through reading and studying religious and spiritual texts, but we will not know the One until we engage in remembrance within our own hearts — until we contemplate the One and praise the One. This is when we will experience union and connection with IkOankar and truly become fortunate, connected seekers. Will we make an effort to contemplate the One within? Will we become fortunate seekers in experience instead of in name?
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