vavai vāsudeu parmesaru vekhaṇ kaü jini vesu kīā.
vekhai cākhai sabhu kichu jāṇai antari bāhari ravi rahiā.32.
-Guru Granth sahib 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 thirty-second couplet, Guru Nanak delivers a message through the letter ਵ (‘vāvā,’ #34) and uses a name for IkOankar (One Creative and Pervasive Force, 1Force the One). The Guru says, Vasudev, the Divine who dwells in all, has created the form of the world to behold it. Vasudev invokes the attribute of the all-pervasiveness of the One. This is the One who lives everywhere! That One is happily watching the phenomena of creation and taking care of it. That One Own-Self sees, tastes, and knows everything. That One is relishing all the pleasures of creation, is aware of each and every heart, is pervading everywhere. All that we see is a manifestation of that One. The emphasis here is on the play or drama being only of that One, who is involved in every aspect of creation. These seeming paradoxes of transcendence and immanence, of a singular One and a multitude of forms, are beyond logic. They cannot be intellectualized or explained or completely understood. So what are we to do, if we do not want to remain foolish and if we want to become ‘learned?’ We ought to internalize this learning, that there is nothing other than the One — that creation is seen, known, taken care of, and relished by the One. What would change in our thoughts and behaviors if we really understood this?
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