somvāri saci rahiā samāi.
tis kī kīmati kahī na jāi.
ākhi ākhi rahe sabhi liv lāi.
jisu devai tisu palai pāi.
agam agocaru lakhiā na jāi.
gur kai sabadi hari rahiā samāi.2.
-Guru Granth Sahib 841
This composition, revealed by Guru Amardas Sahib (1479-1574 CE), is based on the seven days of the week. In it, the Guru imparts a distinct teaching for each day of the week. Through Sunday, the being is inspired to recite the Nam of IkOankar (the Divine). Through Monday, it is conveyed that Nam is received through the Wisdom (Guru), and it is through Nam that the being experiences IkOankar. Through Tuesday, it is expressed that IkOankar Own-Self creates worldly attachment, and Own-Self bestows awareness to the being. Through Wednesday, it is informed that the being receives honor by immersing in the Nam. Through Thursday, it is stated that all beings are created and supported by IkOankar. Through Friday, it is explained that without remembering the Nam, all ritual practices like observance of fasts lead to worldly attachment. Through Saturday, it is conveyed that self-centered beings deliberate on “auspicious” and “inauspicious” deeds and continue to live in illusion. At the end, it is concluded that only the beings who reflect on the eternal Wisdom are imbued with the love of IkOankar.
Commentary
Literal Translation
Interpretive Transcreation
Poetical Dimension
Calligraphy
Recite the Treasure of virtues within the heart. This alone is the rosary. Through Monday, the second day of the week, Guru Amardas draws our attention to how IkOankar (One Creative and Pervasive Force, 1Force, the One) pervades in the True Nam (Identification with IkOankar). Guru Amardas invokes the divine-synonymous name Hari, the all-pervasive One. Here, both IkOankar and the all-pervasive One are synonymous with the Truth. The all-pervasive One lives in the Truth, pervades the Truth. The One lives in eternality, pervades eternality. The One lives in the eternal Identification with the One pervades the eternal Identification. We can begin to grasp this but are reminded that the value and worth of the all-pervasive One and that eternal Identification cannot be stated. We might try to explain it, but it is not possible. We can only experience it.
Recite the Treasure of virtues within the heart. This alone is the rosary. We are reminded that every person who has attempted to assess the value of the One and the Identification has only become exhausted in their attempts. Even those who have repeatedly tried to ascribe a worldly value to the all-pervasive One and the Identification with deep focus and attention have only become tired. The being to whom the Wisdom (Guru) graces, they experience the Identification. This way of being, this culture of Identification, falls into the hem of that being’s garment. What does this mean? This Identification is received graciously by those whom the Wisdom guides and becomes a part of them.
At the end of this stanza, we are reminded that the unreachable and imperceivable One cannot be known intellectually or through arbitrary valuations. These qualities, repeated from the first stanza, remind us of the great vastness of the One. However, through the Sabad, the Infinite Wisdom, we can begin to experience the One pervading everywhere. This happens when we come to practice remembrance of the Identification and Identify with the all-pervasive One through the Wisdom. This is when we feel the ever-present presence of the One. The value, then, is in connection, not in assessment. Will we move away from trying to assign value to the One and the Identification? Will we stop trying to describe the all-pervasive One to the point of exhaustion? Will we instead practice the Identification and experience the connection we seek?
Recite the Treasure of virtues within the heart. This alone is the rosary. We are reminded that every person who has attempted to assess the value of the One and the Identification has only become exhausted in their attempts. Even those who have repeatedly tried to ascribe a worldly value to the all-pervasive One and the Identification with deep focus and attention have only become tired. The being to whom the Wisdom (Guru) graces, they experience the Identification. This way of being, this culture of Identification, falls into the hem of that being’s garment. What does this mean? This Identification is received graciously by those whom the Wisdom guides and becomes a part of them.
At the end of this stanza, we are reminded that the unreachable and imperceivable One cannot be known intellectually or through arbitrary valuations. These qualities, repeated from the first stanza, remind us of the great vastness of the One. However, through the Sabad, the Infinite Wisdom, we can begin to experience the One pervading everywhere. This happens when we come to practice remembrance of the Identification and Identify with the all-pervasive One through the Wisdom. This is when we feel the ever-present presence of the One. The value, then, is in connection, not in assessment. Will we move away from trying to assign value to the One and the Identification? Will we stop trying to describe the all-pervasive One to the point of exhaustion? Will we instead practice the Identification and experience the connection we seek?
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