paüṛī.
ekādasī nikaṭi pekhahu hari rāmu.
indrī basi kari suṇahu hari nāmu.
mani santokhu sarab jīa daïā.
in bidhi baratu sampūran bhaïā.
dhāvat manu rākhai ik ṭhāi.
manu tanu sudhu japat hari nāi.
sabh mahi pūri rahe pārbraham.
nānak hari kīrtanu kari aṭal ehu dharam.11.
-Guru Granth Sahib 299
Guru Arjan Sahib states that the virtues of IkOankar (the Divine) cannot be fully known or described, as the entire expanse of IkOankar is awe-inspiring. Corresponding to the fifteen-day lunar calendar and each pauri (stanza) correlates to each day formed by the waxing and waning of the moon. The eleventh pauri states that knowing IkOankar as ever-present, singing the virtues of IkOankar, and cultivating contentment and compassion are the true fasting to be observed on the eleventh lunar day.
Commentary
Literal Translation
Interpretive Transcreation
Poetical Dimension
Calligraphy
In the eleventh pauri (stanza), the Guru refers to the existing paradigm of the eleventh lunar day, during which people participate in fasting, ritual, and pilgrimage in hopes that it will make them feel the presence of the One. The Guru urges us to see the 1-Light, the All-Pervasive, the Beautiful Charming One as near to us. This is not a thing that only happens on particular days through particular rituals or particular pilgrimages. We can feel the presence of the One always, without any of these external practices. We are urged to bring the different sense organs under control, to listen to the Nam (Identification) of IkOankar (One Universal Integrative Force, 1Force, the One) with the ears. We are urged to have contentment and compassion toward all beings in our minds. Through this method, it is as if the fast of the existing paradigm has been completed.
The being who is able to keep their wandering mind in one place finds that their mind and body become filth-free through reciting the Nam of the All-Pervasive One. This, too, is a subversion of the existing paradigm in which ritual purification is commonly practiced. To really become filth-free in mind and body requires Remembrance of and Identification with IkOankar, who is Transcendent, who is pervading in all. We forget this because of our fears, entanglements with the world around us, and anxieties about what will happen to us when we are done with these lives. In that web of fear and anxiety, we continue to live forgetfulness, desperate to feel a connection to the One who is always present. We just cannot seem to feel that presence. How do we get there? The Guru offers us clear and simple guidance: engage in the kirtan of the All-Pervasive, the Fear-Eliminator, the Remover of Suffering, the 1-Light. Sing the praises of that One. Sing of the Glory of that One. This is the most stable and steady practice. This is the eternal dharam — principle, religion, duty, practice.
The Guru offers us guidance as we wander around, engaging in all sorts of fasting, ritual, and pilgrimages in hopes that it will help us feel the presence of the One. We might say there is only the One, but experiencing this is rare. To find awe in what we do not know is difficult. How can we, the ones who will die, know the Undying One? The Guru shows us that if we engage in this stable practice of singing the virtues and the glories of the One who is near to us, we can taste some of the elements of that One, we can know some of the virtues of that Knower of Creation, and we can experience awe. Will we begin that stable practice? Will we learn how to steady our sense organs and our minds? Will we have compassion toward all of creation? Will we find contentment?
The being who is able to keep their wandering mind in one place finds that their mind and body become filth-free through reciting the Nam of the All-Pervasive One. This, too, is a subversion of the existing paradigm in which ritual purification is commonly practiced. To really become filth-free in mind and body requires Remembrance of and Identification with IkOankar, who is Transcendent, who is pervading in all. We forget this because of our fears, entanglements with the world around us, and anxieties about what will happen to us when we are done with these lives. In that web of fear and anxiety, we continue to live forgetfulness, desperate to feel a connection to the One who is always present. We just cannot seem to feel that presence. How do we get there? The Guru offers us clear and simple guidance: engage in the kirtan of the All-Pervasive, the Fear-Eliminator, the Remover of Suffering, the 1-Light. Sing the praises of that One. Sing of the Glory of that One. This is the most stable and steady practice. This is the eternal dharam — principle, religion, duty, practice.
The Guru offers us guidance as we wander around, engaging in all sorts of fasting, ritual, and pilgrimages in hopes that it will help us feel the presence of the One. We might say there is only the One, but experiencing this is rare. To find awe in what we do not know is difficult. How can we, the ones who will die, know the Undying One? The Guru shows us that if we engage in this stable practice of singing the virtues and the glories of the One who is near to us, we can taste some of the elements of that One, we can know some of the virtues of that Knower of Creation, and we can experience awe. Will we begin that stable practice? Will we learn how to steady our sense organs and our minds? Will we have compassion toward all of creation? Will we find contentment?
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