ūṛai upmā tā kī kījai jā kā antu na pāiā.
sevā karahi seī phalu pāvahi jin̖ī sacu kamāiā.3.
-Guru Granth Sahib 432
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 third couplet, Guru Nanak delivers a message through the letter ੳ (‘ūṛā,’ #1) and says, One ought to sing ‘upma,’ praises only of that One whose end cannot be found. Those who engage in service, who have earned the Truth, receive the fruit. We might be asking as seekers where to go from the kinds of abstract wisdom that the first two couplets have imparted: the sovereignty of the One, the creative power of the One, and the eternality of the One. What is our work? What do we do? How do we serve? We ought to praise that same One, whose limit cannot be known, who is boundless and vast. How do we praise the One we cannot figure out? How do we sing of the One who cannot be fully grasped? This is the only praise we ought to work towards. This is how we serve the One. This is how we earn the truth – eternality. We are being shown that our work in applying this kind of understanding to our own lives is not easy! It requires effort, and it must be earned. This is how we receive the fruits of our labor – union or connection with the One. ੳ is an interesting letter in the Gurmukhi script because, within it, you can see so many of the other shapes from the Gurmukhi script that make up its alphabet. This is the point from which all of the alphabet begins. This kind of foundational letter tells us about what foundation we ought to construct in our lives, in our relationship with the One. The basics, the foundations, are all about service and truth. When we learn, we go through the simplicity of rote memorization or repetition. But the larger idea in the Pause line is about going after the wisdom. What is the learning of all this living? We may not be able to know the One fully. If we try, we will quickly find that we have exhausted ourselves in a fruitless intellectual exercise. If we can accept this unknowability as reality, we can instead serve the One by praising the One. This shifts us from an ego-driven relationship with the One that causes us to pursue knowledge to display or to pin something down. Instead, we are humbled by the One’s vastness and serve the One, motivated by the desire to cultivate a relationship with the One. Will we make this shift? Will we sing praises? Will we serve? Will we earn the truth?
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