The
saloks of Sheikh Farid
Ji guide the seeker towards life’s true purpose, the devotion to the one absolute Divine, IkOankar. In these saloks, he reminds us that our time in this world is finite; therefore, one must turn to IkOankar without delay. Yet, attachment to transient possessions and relationships causes many to forget this truth, becoming entangled in vices that lead to restlessness and inner turmoil. In contrast, those who cultivate virtues such as love, humility, patience, contentment, selfless service, and righteousness experience the bliss of connection with IkOankar even while living a householder’s life. Their life becomes serene and suffused with inner joy.
In the one hundred and ninth stanza, Guru Arjan says,
O Farid! consider suffering and comfort as one; shed vice from the heart. Whatever is pleasing to Allah, know that as good; then the Court will be found. Guru Arjan continues to respond to Sheikh Farid’s reflection that unless one gets up in the early morning to remember
IkOankar (One Creative and Pervasive Force, 1Force, the One), one is dead while alive. Guru Arjan says,
embrace joy and sorrow in the same way. By nature of being alive and in the world, we will experience the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. We will have to navigate intense and overwhelming pain and the most ecstatic bliss. We experience these emotions when we lose loved ones, when we meet new members of our family, when we are tossed every which way by the ups and downs of being alive. How do we steady ourselves in these extremes? Whatever condition the Divine places us in, let us understand that as good. Let us accept it with joy.
If we want to rise early in the morning and immerse ourselves in IkOankar, we ought to! But it is not enough to just get up early and do this if it does not fundamentally change us. If we are getting up early and doing all of this but we are still living with volatility during the day, then what we do in the morning did not really do much at all. Whatever we do, at whatever time, is it helping us embrace joy and sorrow in the same way? This is not just about getting up in the morning. This is about the totality of being alive and navigating the hues of each emotion that affect us as we experience being human in the world. Whatever we do, at whatever time, is it cleansing our hearts of transgressions and vices like lust and anger and forgetfulness? Is it helping us accept the Will of IkOankar as good? This is what it means to become imbued in
Allah or IkOankar. Will we experience this transformation and find the court of the One?
