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 eighty-third stanza, Guru Arjan says,
O Farid! Life becomes pleasant, and along with it, the body also becomes beautiful. However, rare ones receive this gift, whose love is with the Beloved. Sheikh Farid speaks in his stanzas about aging and the passing of time, and the regret that comes when one realizes too late that they did not use their time to be in devotion to beloved
IkOankar (One Creative and Pervasive Force, 1Force, the One). Here, Guru Arjan is reframing aging as beautiful. Life becomes pleasant and the body becomes beautiful when we are graced by the Wisdom-
Guru, when our vices dissipate, and we are no longer afflicted by suffering. Any age, then, is beautiful if we are in love with the beloved One.
We sometimes reflect on the time that has passed and convince ourselves that it is too late to begin the journey of becoming devotees. But the value of this love is that we can be in that love at any age. The reasons for our pains are the poisons of life. As we get older and live in the world longer, we gather these things. But if we find shade in the grace and mentoring of the Wisdom-Guru, then we move towards a love for the beloved One that frees us from those poisons. In that shade and guidance of the Wisdom-Guru, we can live a life that is like the life we lived when we were young. This life can now be just as pleasant and beautiful as it once was. This is rare, and it happens for those rare ones who are deeply in love with the beloved One. Will we become youthful in our love? Will we become diseaseless and beautiful as we pass this time in love?
