caüdasi caüthe thāvahi lahi pāvai.
rājas tāmas sat kāl samāvai.
sasīar kai ghari sūru samāvai.
jog jugati kī kīmati pāvai.
caüdasi bhavan pātāl samāe.
khanḍ brahmanḍ rahiā liv lāe.18.
-Guru Granth Sahib 840
This composition is based on fifteen lunar dates. Through the first lunar day, IkOankar (the Divine) is praised as unique, emphasizing the importance of Wisdom (Guru). Through the second, the plight of a being engrossed in the material world and relationships is described. Through the third and fourth, the creative power of IkOankar is highlighted. Through the fifth, while describing the destructive influence of attachment to the material world and relationships, the significance of Wisdom in life is explained. Through the sixth, the eternal Nam of IkOankar is elucidated in the context of the six Indic religious orders. Through the seventh and eighth, the importance of Wisdom and the contemplation of Nam are stressed. Through the ninth, IkOankar is praised. Through the tenth, again, the contemplation of Nam is encouraged. Through the eleventh, the being is advised to observe a fast of abstinence from vices. Through the twelfth, the way of life of a seeker is eulogized. Through the thirteenth, while highlighting the transient nature of life, the being is inspired to live in reverence of IkOankar and attain an exalted state. Through the fourteenth, the way to achieve the fourth state, which is beyond the influence of attachment to the material world and relationships and union with IkOankar, is described. Through the fifteenth lunar day, the all-pervading IkOankar is praised.
Commentary
Literal Translation
Interpretive Transcreation
Poetical Dimension
Calligraphy
What recitation might I recite other than the Nam of Jagdish? In the eighteenth stanza, through the fourteenth lunar day, Guru Nanak continues to describe the exalted state mentioned in the previous stanza and says that when the being finds the fourth place, this exalted state, rajas, tamas, satva, and death are absorbed. The three qualities that Guru Nanak invokes refer to a paradigm in which the whole world is engrossed in rajo (energy, activity, passion, or ambition; its nature is pain and restlessness), tamo (darkness, ignorance, negativity, or inactivity; its nature is indifference or resistance to action), and sato (knowledge, consciousness, purity, and goodness; its nature is pleasure and happiness). These qualities regulate what people do and what they eat, classify people and food and drink into different categories, and entangle us in a fear-based system that dictates the everyday. The whole world is engrossed in some version of this, whether in the Indic context or other contexts that also classify and regulate our lives. The ones who rise above these three qualities and the system to which they are integral are able to find a fourth quality or state outside of this system. These rare ones are able to live in a state of contentment and connection with IkOankar (One Creative and Pervasive Force, 1Force, the One), free from the fear of death.
In this fourth state, it is as if the sun has been absorbed in the house of the moon, as if the heat and cravings within the being have been immersed in the cool heart. In this state, the being understands and is aware of how to experience union with IkOankar. They come to realize that the seeker exists in loving connection with the all-pervading IkOankar, the One who is pervading in the fourteen worlds, netherworlds, in all regions and universes. Guru Nanak references the different understandings that might be prevalent about creation and how it is categorized or stratified and invites us to transcend even this categorization with the understanding that no matter how we slice up existence in an attempt to understand its various parts, the most important understanding we can come to is that the One is pervading each and every space, present and active. Will we come to rise above the systems we have created for ourselves into a more transcendent connection with the One? Will we experience this fourth state?
In this fourth state, it is as if the sun has been absorbed in the house of the moon, as if the heat and cravings within the being have been immersed in the cool heart. In this state, the being understands and is aware of how to experience union with IkOankar. They come to realize that the seeker exists in loving connection with the all-pervading IkOankar, the One who is pervading in the fourteen worlds, netherworlds, in all regions and universes. Guru Nanak references the different understandings that might be prevalent about creation and how it is categorized or stratified and invites us to transcend even this categorization with the understanding that no matter how we slice up existence in an attempt to understand its various parts, the most important understanding we can come to is that the One is pervading each and every space, present and active. Will we come to rise above the systems we have created for ourselves into a more transcendent connection with the One? Will we experience this fourth state?
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