lāhā nāmu pāe gur duāri.
āpe devai devaṇhāru.
jo devai tis kaü bali jāīai.
gur parsādī āpu gavāīai.
nānak nāmu rakhahu ur dhāri.
devaṇhāre kaü jaikāru.5.
-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. In the fifth stanza, Guru Amardas explores the Nam (Identification) of IkOankar (One Creative and Pervasive Force, 1Force, the One). Here, we learn that we only come to receive the profit of the Identification at the ‘door’ of the Wisdom (Guru) through the grace of the One. This door is universal and eternal. It is not a physical door but the ever-expanding universal dwelling space of IkOankar. Only IkOankar, the One, the Giver, can guide us to this door. And we are brought to it through a relationship with the Wisdom. This is important given the context in which Guru Amardas writes. There is always a middleman in existing systems of religious and spiritual transactions. Here, the emphasis is on a direct relationship with the One through the Wisdom. This is an empowering and world-shifting statement!
Recite the Treasure of virtues within the heart. This alone is the rosary. Guru Amardas encourages us to devote all our strength to that One, the Giver. We ought to give our time and effort and bodies and minds to the One. We ought to devote ourselves to IkOankar. In the previous stanza, Guru Amardas showed us that when we are drenched in the Identification, we receive honor at the door of the One. Here, further exploration of the Identification shows us that if we receive this Identification, it is not in our hands! None of this happens because we did particular rituals on particular days. We don’t receive the Identification in a transaction or exchange. This is a gift that the One bestows and is the One we ought to truly adore and devote to. When we offer our strength and serve devotedly and humbly, we feel the grace of the Wisdom, and through feeling that grace, our obsessive sense of self and our ego are chipped away.
At the end of the stanza, we are urged to enshrine the Identification within ourselves, having firmly enshrined it in our hearts. We are reminded to praise the One who gives us this ability. To give our strength over is to become humble. This might feel like an easy thing when we do it once. But remaining in that state is difficult. And maybe subconsciously, we know this, so instead of a more difficult renunciation of the self, we look for smaller renunciations. We fast, we eliminate things from our diets or habits or daily life for a short while, we go on retreats, and we look for quick fixes. Guru Amardas calls us to reflect on remaining humble as the work of continuing to chip away at our sense of self. When we receive the profit from Identification, this self no longer matters. We walk through the world accumulating other things we might categorize as profit. We get caught up in those things. We might even thank those who have helped us accumulate that profit. But when that profit is of the Identification, we thank the One who fulfills our desire for connection. Will we seek this profit? Will we wipe away our egos? Will we devote ourselves to the Giver?
Recite the Treasure of virtues within the heart. This alone is the rosary. Guru Amardas encourages us to devote all our strength to that One, the Giver. We ought to give our time and effort and bodies and minds to the One. We ought to devote ourselves to IkOankar. In the previous stanza, Guru Amardas showed us that when we are drenched in the Identification, we receive honor at the door of the One. Here, further exploration of the Identification shows us that if we receive this Identification, it is not in our hands! None of this happens because we did particular rituals on particular days. We don’t receive the Identification in a transaction or exchange. This is a gift that the One bestows and is the One we ought to truly adore and devote to. When we offer our strength and serve devotedly and humbly, we feel the grace of the Wisdom, and through feeling that grace, our obsessive sense of self and our ego are chipped away.
At the end of the stanza, we are urged to enshrine the Identification within ourselves, having firmly enshrined it in our hearts. We are reminded to praise the One who gives us this ability. To give our strength over is to become humble. This might feel like an easy thing when we do it once. But remaining in that state is difficult. And maybe subconsciously, we know this, so instead of a more difficult renunciation of the self, we look for smaller renunciations. We fast, we eliminate things from our diets or habits or daily life for a short while, we go on retreats, and we look for quick fixes. Guru Amardas calls us to reflect on remaining humble as the work of continuing to chip away at our sense of self. When we receive the profit from Identification, this self no longer matters. We walk through the world accumulating other things we might categorize as profit. We get caught up in those things. We might even thank those who have helped us accumulate that profit. But when that profit is of the Identification, we thank the One who fulfills our desire for connection. Will we seek this profit? Will we wipe away our egos? Will we devote ourselves to the Giver?
