rāgu āsā mahalā 4 so purakhu.
ikoaṅkār satigur prasādi.
so purakhu nirañjanu hari purakhu nirañjanu hari agamā agam apārā.
sabhi dhiāvahi sabhi dhiāvahi tudhu jī hari sace sirjaṇhārā.
sabhi jīa tumāre jī tūṁ jīā kā dātārā.
hari dhiāvahu santahu jī sabhi dūkh visāraṇhārā.
hari āpe thākuru hari āpe sevaku jī kiā nānak jant vicārā.1.
tūṁ ghaṭ ghaṭ antari sarab nirantari jī hari eko purakhu samāṇā.
iki dāte iki bhekhārī jī sabhi tere coj viḍāṇā.
tūṁ āpe dātā āpe bhugatā jī haü tudhu binu avaru na jāṇā.
tūṁ pārbrahamu beantu beantu jī tere kiā guṇ ākhi vakhāṇā.
jo sevahi jo sevahi tudhu jī janu nānaku tin kurbāṇā.2.
hari dhiāvahi hari dhiāvahi tudhu jī se jan jug mahi sukhvāsī.
se mukatu se mukatu bhae jin hari dhiāiā jī tin tūṭī jam kī phāsī.
jin nirbhaü jin hari nirbhaü dhiāiā jī tin kā bhaü sabhu gavāsī.
jin seviā jin seviā merā hari jī te hari hari rūpi samāsī.
se dhannu se dhannu jin hari dhiāiā jī janu nānaku tin bali jāsī.3.
terī bhagati terī bhagati bhanḍār jī bhare biant beantā.
tere bhagat tere bhagat salāhani tudhu jī hari anik anek anantā.
terī anik terī anik karahi hari pūjā jī tapu tāpahi japahi beantā.
tere anek tere anek paṛahi bahu simriti sāsat jī kari kiriā khaṭu karam karantā.
se bhagat se bhagat bhale jan nānak jī jo bhāvahi mere hari bhagvantā.4.
tūṁ ādi purakhu aparamparu kartā jī tudhu jevaḍu avaru na koī.
tūṁ jugu jugu eko sadā sadā tūṁ eko jī tūṁ nihcalu kartā soī.
tudhu āpe bhāvai soī vartai jī tūṁ āpe karahi su hoī.
tudhu āpe srisṭi sabh upāī jī tudhu āpe siraji sabh goī.
janu nānaku guṇ gāvai karte ke jī jo sabhsai kā jāṇoī.5.1.
-Guru Granth Sahib 10-11
Guru Ramdas Sahib describes the pervasiveness of IkOankar (the Divine) permeating all beings and places. The all-pervasive IkOankar manifests beyond human imagination and knowledge. The IkOankar, who creates all things in existence, is the infinite provider and liberator of suffering for all things. Those who contemplate with love become pleasing to IkOankar; they lead a blissful life and attain freedom. This Sabad encourages individuals to yearn for the company of devoted seekers.
Commentary
Literal Translation
Interpretive Transcreation
Poetical Dimension
Calligraphy
Who is this mysterious being that we refer to as the One Universal Integrative Force (1Force)?
It is a seekers’ desire to relate that encourages them to contemplate who or what exists in consciousness and question their relationship to this one creative all-pervasive force, 1Force, and how to experience it. Guru Nanak in So Daru (That Court) described where the 1Force pervades in consciousness. Guru Ramdas now extends the inquiry in So Purakhu (That Being) to ask who this Sovereign Being is?
In these five stanzas, Guru Ramdas uses words of praise to identify with the infinite qualities of the Sovereign. That Sovereign Being is all-pervasive and manifests beyond our imagination and knowledge of where and how the Sovereign Being exists. The all-pervasive 1Force is boundless, exists in all and beyond. This Sovereign Being who created us and all things in existence is the infinite provider and liberator of suffering for all things created. These words of praise echo over and over again in a poetic rhythm throughout the sabad. That when hearing and reciting, one feels enchanted by the phrases used to describe the Sovereign. It is easy to feel the yearning and desire the Guru expresses to remain connected with the Sovereign.
In identifying with the seeker, Guru Ramdas asks how ordinary-beings, seekers who are contemplating the Sovereign’s nature, can ever fully describe and comprehend who this Being is? The Guru says that this all-pervading consciousness is so vast that it dwells in all places and everything in everyone and beyond. This pervading consciousness is a constancy that exists for all on this life journey. Yet, there is no way of fully grasping its infinite nature; it exists in human form and all things in nature.
Imagine standing at the ocean’s shoreline, looking out into the horizon, taking in the breathtaking views, admiring its vastness and what seems like a never-ending expanse of the water all around. Ever wonder where the ocean begins, where it ends, or how much water there could possibly be? Even though your eyes limit you to what you can see on the horizon, you know that the water extends far beyond in all directions. Similarly, in trying to relate to the infinite qualities of the Sovereign, we know that its infinite nature is far beyond what we can ever comprehend or self-realize within the limits of our human mind.
The all-pervading consciousness or 1-Ness that exists in all, says the Guru, is available to those seeking a connection. Guru Ramdas says that those sincere seekers who want a connection with the Sovereign are lovingly met at the gateway of one’s heart center. If one is truly invested in meeting the Sovereign with love and devotion, then that gateway opens, and one is freed from all afflictions to experience the Sovereign’s infinite treasures. It takes a fearless seeker who pursues this path to discover a pathway to this union. These fearless seekers are embraced by the Sovereign, and they internalize the eternal fearless nature of their Sovereign. Seekers who are human right activists, climate action advocates, and animal rights proponents, who demonstrate fearlessness in their pursuit of justice, are also exalted by the Sovereign.
The Guru appeals to all seekers on this journey of life to do their own personal reflection on how to relate to the Sovereign within the space of their own hearts. If the path towards the Sovereign is not restricted to the select-few and is available to all seekers, then how could this 1-Ness ever be exclusive to some? Who is responsible for perpetuating self-limiting biases and prescribing conditions on who is deemed acceptable to be loved by the Sovereign? Why do religious views influence who is considered worthy of the Sovereign’s attention? Why do xenophobic and gender phobic reactions accentuate why people are denied their fundamental rights to love anyone unconditionally? If these differences still prevail in religious orders and society, perhaps it only highlights how we are not accepting the 1-Ness in all.
Just like there are no limits on who can experience this Sovereign’s vastness, there are no limits to how the Sovereign can be revered. Some will connect emotionally, others perceptively through prayer, contemplation, remembrance, recitation of spiritual texts, physical practice or worship. If one cannot physically assume a posture, read scriptures, listen to praise, etc., are they restricted in their capacity to relate to their Sovereign? The Guru dispels the need for explicit ways to meet the Sovereign and instead recognizes diverse ways to establish a connection. Even though there are limitless ways, the seekers’ love and devotion delights the Sovereign, and union occurs.
In the final stanza, the Guru reveres the Sovereign as the knower of all hearts, the one who existed before the One in the here and now and will exist in the beyond. Guru Ramdas reiterates that the Sovereign, the creator of this life force, determines what happens next and how union with the creator can be achieved. It is up to the seekers to decide if they want to develop this relationship and reflect on how they will revere their Sovereign. How will you recognize the all-pervading consciousness that surrounds you, that is in you and beyond you? How will you be aware of any limitations, self-imposed or by others, that influence this relationship? What helps to strengthen this connection to experience the love of the Sovereign inherent in all beings?
It is a seekers’ desire to relate that encourages them to contemplate who or what exists in consciousness and question their relationship to this one creative all-pervasive force, 1Force, and how to experience it. Guru Nanak in So Daru (That Court) described where the 1Force pervades in consciousness. Guru Ramdas now extends the inquiry in So Purakhu (That Being) to ask who this Sovereign Being is?
In these five stanzas, Guru Ramdas uses words of praise to identify with the infinite qualities of the Sovereign. That Sovereign Being is all-pervasive and manifests beyond our imagination and knowledge of where and how the Sovereign Being exists. The all-pervasive 1Force is boundless, exists in all and beyond. This Sovereign Being who created us and all things in existence is the infinite provider and liberator of suffering for all things created. These words of praise echo over and over again in a poetic rhythm throughout the sabad. That when hearing and reciting, one feels enchanted by the phrases used to describe the Sovereign. It is easy to feel the yearning and desire the Guru expresses to remain connected with the Sovereign.
In identifying with the seeker, Guru Ramdas asks how ordinary-beings, seekers who are contemplating the Sovereign’s nature, can ever fully describe and comprehend who this Being is? The Guru says that this all-pervading consciousness is so vast that it dwells in all places and everything in everyone and beyond. This pervading consciousness is a constancy that exists for all on this life journey. Yet, there is no way of fully grasping its infinite nature; it exists in human form and all things in nature.
Imagine standing at the ocean’s shoreline, looking out into the horizon, taking in the breathtaking views, admiring its vastness and what seems like a never-ending expanse of the water all around. Ever wonder where the ocean begins, where it ends, or how much water there could possibly be? Even though your eyes limit you to what you can see on the horizon, you know that the water extends far beyond in all directions. Similarly, in trying to relate to the infinite qualities of the Sovereign, we know that its infinite nature is far beyond what we can ever comprehend or self-realize within the limits of our human mind.
The all-pervading consciousness or 1-Ness that exists in all, says the Guru, is available to those seeking a connection. Guru Ramdas says that those sincere seekers who want a connection with the Sovereign are lovingly met at the gateway of one’s heart center. If one is truly invested in meeting the Sovereign with love and devotion, then that gateway opens, and one is freed from all afflictions to experience the Sovereign’s infinite treasures. It takes a fearless seeker who pursues this path to discover a pathway to this union. These fearless seekers are embraced by the Sovereign, and they internalize the eternal fearless nature of their Sovereign. Seekers who are human right activists, climate action advocates, and animal rights proponents, who demonstrate fearlessness in their pursuit of justice, are also exalted by the Sovereign.
The Guru appeals to all seekers on this journey of life to do their own personal reflection on how to relate to the Sovereign within the space of their own hearts. If the path towards the Sovereign is not restricted to the select-few and is available to all seekers, then how could this 1-Ness ever be exclusive to some? Who is responsible for perpetuating self-limiting biases and prescribing conditions on who is deemed acceptable to be loved by the Sovereign? Why do religious views influence who is considered worthy of the Sovereign’s attention? Why do xenophobic and gender phobic reactions accentuate why people are denied their fundamental rights to love anyone unconditionally? If these differences still prevail in religious orders and society, perhaps it only highlights how we are not accepting the 1-Ness in all.
Just like there are no limits on who can experience this Sovereign’s vastness, there are no limits to how the Sovereign can be revered. Some will connect emotionally, others perceptively through prayer, contemplation, remembrance, recitation of spiritual texts, physical practice or worship. If one cannot physically assume a posture, read scriptures, listen to praise, etc., are they restricted in their capacity to relate to their Sovereign? The Guru dispels the need for explicit ways to meet the Sovereign and instead recognizes diverse ways to establish a connection. Even though there are limitless ways, the seekers’ love and devotion delights the Sovereign, and union occurs.
In the final stanza, the Guru reveres the Sovereign as the knower of all hearts, the one who existed before the One in the here and now and will exist in the beyond. Guru Ramdas reiterates that the Sovereign, the creator of this life force, determines what happens next and how union with the creator can be achieved. It is up to the seekers to decide if they want to develop this relationship and reflect on how they will revere their Sovereign. How will you recognize the all-pervading consciousness that surrounds you, that is in you and beyond you? How will you be aware of any limitations, self-imposed or by others, that influence this relationship? What helps to strengthen this connection to experience the love of the Sovereign inherent in all beings?
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