paüṛī.
amāvas ātam sukhī bhae santokhu dīā gurdev.
manu tanu sītalu sāṁti sahaj lāgā prabh kī sev.
ṭūṭe bandhan bahu bikār saphal pūran tā ke kām.
durmati miṭī haümai chuṭī simrat hari ko nām.
sarani gahī pārbraham kī miṭiā āvāgavan.
āpi tariā kuṭamb siu guṇ gubind prabh ravan.
hari kī ṭahal kamāvaṇī japīai prabh kā nāmu.
gur pūre te pāiā nānak sukh bisrāmu.15.
-Guru Granth Sahib 300
Guru Arjan Sahib states that the being who has sung the virtues of IkOankar (the Divine) through the Wisdom (Guru) has conquered the self. All their fears and worries have ended. Corresponding to the fifteen-day lunar calendar and each pauri (stanza) correlates to each day formed by the waxing and waning of the moon. In the fifteenth pauri, the negative thinking and ego are removed in individuals who remember Nam (Identification with IkOankar). Contentment, peace, and wisdom are found. Life becomes fruitful.
Commentary
Literal Translation
Interpretive Transcreation
Poetical Dimension
Calligraphy
In the fifteenth pauri (stanza), the Guru answers how to find a state of fearlessness. When we receive contentment from the dearest divine Wisdom, our inner-selves become comfortable — not in a superficial way, but in an internal and lasting way. The Wisdom gives us contentment, and it is through that contentment that we experience joy and comfort. The mind and body become cooled and silent, and we are able to feel a sense of peace and a natural connection with the Wisdom. How does this happen? Through the service of IkOankar (One Universal Integrative Force, 1Force, the One). This is not just any kind of physical service but a serving of the Creator through praise, thought, and behavior. When we engage in this kind of service, the bonds of vices are broken, our entanglements are removed, and our tasks become fruitful and complete. When we remember the Nam (Identification) of the 1-Light, our false or bad thinking — the thing that keeps us from connecting with the One — goes away. Our pride leaves us, and we are able to take the shelter of the Transcendent One. We are able to seek the protection and help of IkOankar as well as connection with IkOankar. It is through this refuge that our comings and goings are eliminated. We no longer oscillate between vices and emotions, joy and sorrow, or heavens and hells.
It is when all of this happens, when our condition becomes one of freedom and connection with IkOankar, that we are able to cross this world ocean. We utter the virtues of the Knower of Creation, we practice the remembrance of the One, and we are able to make our lives fruitful here and now. We are also able to help our families and communities make their lives fruitful. The Guru says that we ought to earn the service of the 1-Light, the Remover of Suffering, and we ought to recite the Nam of Prabhu, the compassionate One who is capable of helping us when no one else can. If we can take the initial steps of uttering the virtues, of singing, of serving, we can then learn to recite and remember the Nam. We are able to Identify with IkOankar through the Wisdom, and it is through this Identification that we are able to come into the sanctuary of the One. All of this happens through the internalization of initially external behaviors of uttering, singing, and serving.
The Guru shows us how to become free from our current conditions to experience a condition of connection and freedom. We are shown how to trade out our bad or negative thinking for the kind of thinking rooted in the Wisdom. This new way of thinking changes us within and manifests in our external behaviors. When we have the virtues of the One operating within us, chiseling us from the inside out, we are able to feel contented and peaceful and earn the service of the One. Service of the One is not limited to the physical service of other people and creation at large. It is also serving the One internally through Remembrance, Identification, and Praise. If we can develop ourselves to sing the virtues of the Knower of Creation, to listen to the virtues, and to become transformed by their inculcation, we will see this change us internally and externally. This is how we find comfort and contentment. This is how we transform our internal worlds and our external behaviors. Will we make an effort toward that transformation? Are we ready to be in the sanctuary?
It is when all of this happens, when our condition becomes one of freedom and connection with IkOankar, that we are able to cross this world ocean. We utter the virtues of the Knower of Creation, we practice the remembrance of the One, and we are able to make our lives fruitful here and now. We are also able to help our families and communities make their lives fruitful. The Guru says that we ought to earn the service of the 1-Light, the Remover of Suffering, and we ought to recite the Nam of Prabhu, the compassionate One who is capable of helping us when no one else can. If we can take the initial steps of uttering the virtues, of singing, of serving, we can then learn to recite and remember the Nam. We are able to Identify with IkOankar through the Wisdom, and it is through this Identification that we are able to come into the sanctuary of the One. All of this happens through the internalization of initially external behaviors of uttering, singing, and serving.
The Guru shows us how to become free from our current conditions to experience a condition of connection and freedom. We are shown how to trade out our bad or negative thinking for the kind of thinking rooted in the Wisdom. This new way of thinking changes us within and manifests in our external behaviors. When we have the virtues of the One operating within us, chiseling us from the inside out, we are able to feel contented and peaceful and earn the service of the One. Service of the One is not limited to the physical service of other people and creation at large. It is also serving the One internally through Remembrance, Identification, and Praise. If we can develop ourselves to sing the virtues of the Knower of Creation, to listen to the virtues, and to become transformed by their inculcation, we will see this change us internally and externally. This is how we find comfort and contentment. This is how we transform our internal worlds and our external behaviors. Will we make an effort toward that transformation? Are we ready to be in the sanctuary?
