maṅgalvāre le māhīti.
panc cor kī jāṇai rīti.
ghar choḍeṁ bāhari jini jāi.
nātaru kharā risai hai rāi.3.
-Guru Granth Sahib 344
This composition is based on the seven days of the week. The days of the week are often associated with the notions of good and bad. However, Bhagat Kabir Ji encourages us to focus on connecting with the Nam of IkOankar (the Divine) rather than believing in such notions. He imparts a distinct teaching for each day of the week. The message through Sunday is to practice devotion. Through Monday is to partake Nam from the Wisdom (Guru). Through Tuesday is to understand the true nature of the vices. Through Wednesday is to develop intellect within. Through Thursday is to rid our minds of the overpowering influence of Maya. Through Friday is to remain unaffected by the pride and prestige gained through good deeds. Finally, the message through Saturday is to keep one’s wandering mind steady and stable.
Commentary
Literal Translation
Interpretive Transcreation
Poetical Dimension
Calligraphy
If one sings the virtues of the 1-Light again and again, having approached the Wisdom (Guru), that being finds the secret of the 1-Light. In the second stanza, through Tuesday, Bhagat Kabir says a seeker can grasp the essence of reality. A seeker ought to understand the ways of the five thieves, the vices that steal our time, effort, and consciousness and cause forgetfulness of IkOankar (One Creative and Pervasive Force 1Force, the One). These are the things that steer us, and in popular understanding, we might hear that our goal is to eliminate them or move ourselves away from them by removing ourselves from society and the human experience. Many ascetics do this! We might do versions of it by going on small wellness retreats or ‘unplugging’ for some time, hoping this will somehow rid us of these thieves. But Bhagat Kabir reminds us that the way to deal with the five thieves is to get to know them—to understand their way and essence, to recognize how they function within us, influence the mind, and lead it astray. This is how we can learn to control them.
We are people in the world! We constantly deal with vices, desires, and emotions that may cause us to waver. What would it look like to not leave these body-homes behind, to not become ascetics outside of society, but to instead learn how to live with these vices such that they are no longer controlling us? What would it look like to keep our minds anchored within the self, to retrain our minds from wandering? This is what Bhagat Kabir is telling us is possible! He urges us to understand what ails us instead of running from it and says that if we do not, the Sovereign IkOankar, who gave us these bodies and cares deeply for us, will be displeased. This is not about a wrathful ‘God’ but is instead about the One who loves us, wanting us to make the most of these bodies and, this time, not to allow ourselves to be looted. If we allow ourselves to be looted, that is what will ‘displease’ IkOankar. Will we spend some time understanding the five thieves so they can no longer loot us? Will we rid ourselves of pain? Will we cultivate wisdom and devotion within so that we can experience bliss?
We are people in the world! We constantly deal with vices, desires, and emotions that may cause us to waver. What would it look like to not leave these body-homes behind, to not become ascetics outside of society, but to instead learn how to live with these vices such that they are no longer controlling us? What would it look like to keep our minds anchored within the self, to retrain our minds from wandering? This is what Bhagat Kabir is telling us is possible! He urges us to understand what ails us instead of running from it and says that if we do not, the Sovereign IkOankar, who gave us these bodies and cares deeply for us, will be displeased. This is not about a wrathful ‘God’ but is instead about the One who loves us, wanting us to make the most of these bodies and, this time, not to allow ourselves to be looted. If we allow ourselves to be looted, that is what will ‘displease’ IkOankar. Will we spend some time understanding the five thieves so they can no longer loot us? Will we rid ourselves of pain? Will we cultivate wisdom and devotion within so that we can experience bliss?
Tags
