babai bājī khelaṇ lāgā caüpaṛi kīte cāri jugā.
jīa jant sabh sārī kīte pāsā ḍhālaṇi āpi lagā.26.
-Guru Granth Sahib 433-434
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 twenty-sixth couplet, Guru Nanak delivers a message through the letter ਬ (‘babbā,’ #28) and says, IkOankar (One Creative and Pervasive Force, 1Force, the One) Own-Self is playing the ‘bājī,’ popularly ‘baaji,’ the game, Own-Self has made all four ages the Chaupar. Chaupar is a game similar to chess. All beings, all creatures, have been made the pawns, and IkOankar Own-Self is rolling the dice. The Guru emphasizes that the One and only the One is playing the game of the world. We may think we are playing the game of life, but we are only the pawns the Player moves. In every era, the One makes these plays. IkOankar Own-Self issues the Command, and in accordance with that, some beings make their lives fruitful and are freed, while others remain stuck in the cycle of birth and death. The world is the game board; we are the game pieces, and the One is the only player. Some beings ‘win’ and others do not — some suffer, and some do not. The Guru illustrates the expansiveness and unfathomability of this game. We are urged to understand that everything in this life, in this world, is a play, and we are only the pieces. We do not understand the play, and we do not get to—questions about how this play works are not ours to have. We are being urged to recognize our smallness and internalize that recognition. This is how we can become truly ‘learned.’ Will we see this world as a play and the One as the Player? Will we stop expecting to understand it as if we are the ones playing?
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