hari bhāṇā gur bhāiā guru jāvai hari prabh pāsi jīu.
satiguru kare hari pahi bentī merī paij rakhahu ardāsi jīu.
paij rākhahu hari janah kerī hari dehu nāmu niranjano.
anti caldiā hoi belī jamdūt kālu nikhanjano.
satigurū kī bentī pāī hari prabhi suṇī ardāsi jīu.
hari dhāri kirpā satiguru milāiā dhanu dhanu kahai sābāsi jīu.2.
-Guru Granth Sahib 923
This composition describes Guru Amardas Sahib leaving the earthly realm. In this composition, Baba Sundar Ji has recorded the last instruction of Guru Amardas Sahib given to the Sikh sangat. Baba Sundar Ji states that Guru Amardas Sahib continued remembering the Nam of IkOankar (the Divine) through the Wisdom (Guru) till his last breath. He instructed the Sikhs and relatives that death was inevitable. Death must be accepted as the will of IkOankar. He stated that unnecessary rituals should not be performed after his death. Kirtan is to be sung. After this, Guru Amardas Sahib passed the Guruship to Bhai Jetha Ji (Guru Ramdas Sahib). Accepting the command of Guru Amardas Sahib, Baba Mohri Ji and the entire Sikh sangat bowed in front of Guru Ramdas Sahib.
Commentary
Literal Translation
Interpretive Transcreation
Poetical Dimension
Calligraphy
In the second stanza, Baba Sundar states, The will of the 1-Light is pleasing to Guru Amardas. The Guru is going to the 1-Light, to Prabhu, dearest! The true Guru Amardas makes a supplication to the 1-Light: “Protect my honor; this is my prayer, dearest!” Prabhu is a special name that invokes the royal and benevolent nature of IkOankar (One Creative and Pervasive Force, 1Force, the One), whose nature is to fulfill a particular role of goodness and compassion. Prabhu is the One who can help us when no one else can. This positional name is invoked with the word jiu at the end of the first and second lines. Jiu evokes a level of love, care, and tenderness needed when the message and instruction are difficult. We have interpreted this term in the commentary as ‘dearest,’ as the Guru shows us how to speak to the One, who is so vast and powerful, with familiarity and love. This reference depicts the great intimacy of our relationship with the gracious and royal One. Baba Sundar tells us that Guru Amardas accepted the Command of the One cheerfully—that the Will is pleasing to him and that he prepared to leave this earthly realm and enter the Court of IkOankar. Guru Amardas prayed to the One in that preparation, asking for protection. We are shown how to supplicate and ask in humility for the grace of the One, even when it feels difficult. Even when the Guru shows us how to ask for help, why are we so reluctant?
Guru Amardas continues his supplication, saying, you protect the honor of your devotees. O Hari, the Remover of suffering, the Fear-Eliminator, the All-Pervasive, the 1-Light! Grace me with the Nam, which is free from the blemish of Maya. Nam, which is the destroyer of the messengers of death and the fear of death. Nam, which is the only companion when we depart. The 1-Light, a synonym for IkOankar, took Guru Amardas out of the influence of Maya, or attachment to the material and relationships, and freed him with the gift of Nam (Identification with IkOankar). Though the Guru experienced this in his lifetime, Guru Amardas still asked for the protection of his honor. The Guru asked for the gift of Nam because it is our only support in the end. Nam is the only thing we take when we leave this world. We spend time worrying about death, how it will feel, and how those we leave behind will cope. We worry about what will happen to us in that great beyond. Did we live our lives the right way? Did we cultivate remembrance and praise and Identification of the One? Did we remember the things that matter? Individuals preparing to depart may experience overwhelming feelings of emptiness, loneliness, and anxiety, recognizing that when the messengers of death arrive, no one else can help. This is a journey that the world fears. Despite this human fear, the Guru asks for Nam, for the support that rids us of fear, frees us, protects the devotees, and comes to our aid in our final journey. Nam eliminates death and the fear of death—death ceases to be fear-inducing. Once again, we are shown how to ask because asking is not simple. We may not ask for help because we think it is too late or unworthy or do not need it. This is more than a historical account; it is also personal and demonstrates how to ask with humility. It is not enough to make the effort; we ought to also ask to be graced. And we ask because we know that the One protects the devotees. We have seen it.
Baba Sundar ends the second stanza by saying, the 1-Light, Prabhu, has heard the plea, the prayer made by the true Guru, dearest! Having bestowed grace, the 1-Light has united the true Guru with Own-Self and said, “You are praiseworthy; You are praiseworthy.” The One has heard this plea and accepted it. This is the Divine’s grace, which has allowed Guru Amardas to become one with the Divine’s Own-Self. This is a result of the effort of Guru Amardas, the immersion in the Sabad, the connection through Nam, and the relationship he cultivated with the Wisdom-Guru and the One while he was alive. Guru Amardas was met, graced, and united, and because of this, he is praiseworthy. He met the One while alive, and now he is making his journey to the home of the One. And this is a deeply joyous occasion that warrants celebration and congratulations.
Baba Sundar’s witnessing in the second stanza shows Guru Amardas’ preparation for his departure from the earthly realm. We learn how to speak to the One, how to invoke the compassion and grace of the One, and how to ask for help with great humility and devotion. We learn that a life full of effort, praise, remembrance, Identification, and connection with IkOankar is praiseworthy. We learn that even with all that effort, one still ought to ask for to be graced. We know that asking is often the hardest part, but the Guru shows us how to speak with great reverence, tenderness, and sweetness, even in loneliness, fear, and emptiness, as we prepare to depart from these lives. Will we shift our understanding of death and its process as something that is cause for joy? Will we try to accept the Will of IkOankar as pleasing, as sweet? Will we learn how to ask for help?
Guru Amardas continues his supplication, saying, you protect the honor of your devotees. O Hari, the Remover of suffering, the Fear-Eliminator, the All-Pervasive, the 1-Light! Grace me with the Nam, which is free from the blemish of Maya. Nam, which is the destroyer of the messengers of death and the fear of death. Nam, which is the only companion when we depart. The 1-Light, a synonym for IkOankar, took Guru Amardas out of the influence of Maya, or attachment to the material and relationships, and freed him with the gift of Nam (Identification with IkOankar). Though the Guru experienced this in his lifetime, Guru Amardas still asked for the protection of his honor. The Guru asked for the gift of Nam because it is our only support in the end. Nam is the only thing we take when we leave this world. We spend time worrying about death, how it will feel, and how those we leave behind will cope. We worry about what will happen to us in that great beyond. Did we live our lives the right way? Did we cultivate remembrance and praise and Identification of the One? Did we remember the things that matter? Individuals preparing to depart may experience overwhelming feelings of emptiness, loneliness, and anxiety, recognizing that when the messengers of death arrive, no one else can help. This is a journey that the world fears. Despite this human fear, the Guru asks for Nam, for the support that rids us of fear, frees us, protects the devotees, and comes to our aid in our final journey. Nam eliminates death and the fear of death—death ceases to be fear-inducing. Once again, we are shown how to ask because asking is not simple. We may not ask for help because we think it is too late or unworthy or do not need it. This is more than a historical account; it is also personal and demonstrates how to ask with humility. It is not enough to make the effort; we ought to also ask to be graced. And we ask because we know that the One protects the devotees. We have seen it.
Baba Sundar ends the second stanza by saying, the 1-Light, Prabhu, has heard the plea, the prayer made by the true Guru, dearest! Having bestowed grace, the 1-Light has united the true Guru with Own-Self and said, “You are praiseworthy; You are praiseworthy.” The One has heard this plea and accepted it. This is the Divine’s grace, which has allowed Guru Amardas to become one with the Divine’s Own-Self. This is a result of the effort of Guru Amardas, the immersion in the Sabad, the connection through Nam, and the relationship he cultivated with the Wisdom-Guru and the One while he was alive. Guru Amardas was met, graced, and united, and because of this, he is praiseworthy. He met the One while alive, and now he is making his journey to the home of the One. And this is a deeply joyous occasion that warrants celebration and congratulations.
Baba Sundar’s witnessing in the second stanza shows Guru Amardas’ preparation for his departure from the earthly realm. We learn how to speak to the One, how to invoke the compassion and grace of the One, and how to ask for help with great humility and devotion. We learn that a life full of effort, praise, remembrance, Identification, and connection with IkOankar is praiseworthy. We learn that even with all that effort, one still ought to ask for to be graced. We know that asking is often the hardest part, but the Guru shows us how to speak with great reverence, tenderness, and sweetness, even in loneliness, fear, and emptiness, as we prepare to depart from these lives. Will we shift our understanding of death and its process as something that is cause for joy? Will we try to accept the Will of IkOankar as pleasing, as sweet? Will we learn how to ask for help?
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