hāhai horu na koī dātā jīa upāi jini rijaku dīā.
hari nāmu dhiāvahu hari nāmi samāvahu andinu lāhā hari nāmu līā.34.
-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-fourth couplet, Guru Nanak delivers a message through the letter ਹ (‘hāhā,’ #5) and says there is no other Giver than IkOankar (One Creative and Pervasive Force, 1Force the One). IkOankar is the Giver who, having created the beings, provides them with sustenance. The word the Guru uses here is ‘horu,’ meaning other. There is no other. If there is no other, how do we engage with the only One? The Guru offers guidance: contemplate the Nam (Identification with IkOankar). Stay immersed in the Nam of the 1-Light. Take the profit, the Nam of the 1-Light. This is the effort we ought to be making – the habit we ought to be forming. If we really want to fill our accounts with something, let it not be anything other than the Nam. If we really want to spend our time here wisely instead of foolishly, let us cultivate a relationship with the One through contemplation, Identification, and remembrance. Will we devote our efforts to this kind of practice? Will we reap this kind of profit?
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