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.
In the third stanza, Baba Sundar describes Guru Amardas’s statements to his Sikhs and relatives. The Guru says,
Listen, my Sikhs! My sons! My relatives! This alone is pleasing to my 1-Light. The One says, come to me, dearest! Guru Amardas tells those gathered around him that
IkOankar (One Creative and Pervasive Force, 1Force, the One), the Sovereign, has commanded him to come—to leave the earthly realm. This occasion alone is pleasing to IkOankar. Baba Sundar says
the will of the 1-Light is pleasing to the Guru. The 1-Light, Prabhu, congratulates Guru Amardas for this. The use of the word
Prabhu is important as it invokes the royal and benevolent nature of IkOankar, 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 name is positional, but it is invoked with the word
jiu at the end of both 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 the love and familiarity in this relationship with the One. This relationship has great intimacy even as the One is benevolent and royal and referred to in this positional way. The Guru tells those who love him, the community, that he has received the Command and is ready to leave. He has accepted this Command as sweet, and he is happy. Our emotions fluctuate for so many of us who have been part of that symbolic community surrounding a person as they depart from this earth. We may be in denial even as death unfolds. We may witness the person who is dying hold on out of fear or regret or out of concern for their loved ones. We might also hold on to the one dying out of fear or regret. Hospice and deathcare workers who “see” death coming explain to us that sometimes our loved ones wait for us to tell them it is okay to go. And even as we do, we might wonder if they are ready, scared, or want to stay. Here, Guru Amardas reassures the community that he is ready to go, even happy to go, and is heeding the beautiful call from the Court with happiness. Guru Amardas found the Command pleasing, and IkOankar praised him for this.
The stanza continues,
the devotee, the true Guru, the true being is that one alone, to whom the will of the 1-Light, of Prabhu, is pleasing. A true devotee of IkOankar embraces even the challenges that might be harder to accept. This acceptance happens in the heart, lovingly, and in devotion.
The unstruck musical instruments of bliss resound in the devotee whom the 1-Light Own-Self embraces. These individuals, these devotees who have found the will pleasing and lovingly accepted it, whom the Divine embraces and makes part of the Divine’s Own-Self. Complete bliss resounds within the mind, consciousness, and heart of those devotees.
Guru Amardas says
You all are my family, my fellows, my relatives, my children. Having thought about this in your mind, see this, dearest! Think about this, reflect on it, and see it! Know it to be true! Whatever is written from the Origin cannot be avoided.
In accordance with that, Your Guru is going to the 1-Light, to Prabhu, dearest. I am ready to leave. I am going. The Guru can say this because of his profound and trusting relationship with the Divine. He is with the One, whether in life or death, and nothing stops him from celebrating leaving. It is the celebration of the Command that he is asking his loved ones to consider, too. This Command cannot be changed.
Please celebrate. Please clarify this in your head. No one can be a devoted one without the Command and the loving acceptance of the Command, and this happens through a deep and loving relationship with the One.
Baba Sundar’s witnessing in the third stanza shows us how to move toward loving acceptance of the Command of IkOankar. We struggle with accepting the Command in many ways, particularly when death arrives. We may deny the reality of a loved one’s imminent departure, seeing it as a form of love. The Guru sets an example for all his loved ones on how to accept the Command cheerfully and shows that this acceptance results in the Divine’s congratulations. The Guru encourages his loved ones to reflect on his joy in departing, experiencing bliss, and being part of this process. He requests them to affirm these thoughts based on their love and belief in him. Recognizing this perspective is a beautiful expression of devotion. While it is alright if we cannot accept this immediately, the Command cannot be changed; our loved ones will still depart. The Guru prepares us to talk about the emotions surrounding death and the process of experiencing death. The Guru teaches us to discuss all the crises this process brings. Our relationship is not to the body but to our connection with the One and the ones we love. This connection allows the Guru to guide us towards developing a connection for ourselves and experiencing a resounding bliss. Will we move towards this understanding? Will we celebrate death as a being’s final honoring of or part in the Command? Will we move towards loving acceptance of that Command?