gurmatī sāṁti vasai sarīr.
sabadu cīn̖i phiri lagai na pīr.
āvai na jāi nā dukhu pāe.
nāme rāte sahaji samāe.
nānak gurmukhi vekhai hadūri.
merā prabhu sad rahiā bharpūri.5.
-Guru Granth Sahib 842
This composition highlights that IkOankar (the Divine) is the Creator of the entire creation. It explains how beings attached to transient things and relationships remain bound by the cycle of birth and death. The rahau line highlights the significance of the Writ inscribed on each being’s forehead—a Writ determined by IkOankar in accordance with the beings’ deeds. The being who remembers and enshrines the eternal Wisdom (Guru) in their heart recognizes IkOankar as both the doer and the cause of all that transpires in the world. For such a being, IkOankar becomes a protector from vices. Guided by the Wisdom, they transcend the cycle of birth and death, freeing themselves from worldly sufferings.
The composition concludes that a being who realizes IkOankar remains deeply immersed in the Nam of IkOankar. Such beings find all days and dates pleasant and meaningful. On the other hand, those who disregard Wisdom remain stuck in the binary of good and bad beliefs and continue to wander in ignorance.
Commentary
Literal Translation
Interpretive Transcreation
Poetical Dimension
Calligraphy
On whose forehead the Writ is inscribed, in that mind of that being, the one Prabhu has dwelt. In the fifth stanza, Guru Amardas says that through the Wisdom’s (Guru) teaching, peace comes to dwell in the body. When we live such that we are guided by the Wisdom’s teachings, when the Wisdom permeates our every thought, word, and action, we find peace in the body. We find peace in the heart. When we recognize the value of the Wisdom and seek that guidance, we become free from pain and suffering. This is what we seek when we are engaging in systems of spiritual currency! We want to connect with IkOankar (One Creative and Pervasive Force, 1Force, the One). We want to stop wandering. We want to feel fulfilled and satiated. Guru Amardas shows us that this happens through the Wisdom, not through any other deed or ritual.
On whose forehead the Writ is inscribed, in that mind of that being, the one Prabhu has dwelt. Guru Amardas continues that being who seeks the guidance of the Wisdom neither comes nor goes. We can understand this classically as being freed from the cycle of birth and death. We can think of this as also a ceasing of wandering in our day-to-day lives—in the comings and goings that might happen within hours, minutes, or seconds. All coming and going ends, and the seeker no longer endures pain and suffering. That ultimate pain of separation is wiped away. That internal wavering is steadied. Drenched in the love of Nam (Identification with IkOankar), the seeker is immersed in sahaj. The word ‘sahaj’ refers to a state of Divine love and awareness that is beyond the influence of worldly attachment. When a seeker continuously and consistently implements the teachings of the Wisdom in life, when they exist in a relationship with the One, and devotely engage in Remembrance, Praise, and Identification, this state of sahaj transpires, and it becomes permanently etched in the consciousness. This is a perpetual state of Divine love and awareness.
Guru Amardas says that the Wisdom-centered seeker sees the all-pervading IkOankar as present. What does it mean to see IkOankar as present? The Wisdom-centered, the Wisdom-facing one, experiences the constant presence of the One, always pervading all things. Guru Amardas ends with a very personal statement in the first person: My Prabhu is pervading at all times. Here, Guru Amardas invokes the divine-synonymous name Prabhu. This name highlights the royal and godlike nature of IkOankar, who fulfills a particular role of goodness and compassion. This is the royal One who is capable of helping us when no one else can. There is both a vastness of the One being conveyed and also the deep intimacy in the relationship with that One. This is a personal relationship, forever. It is important to think more about the accumulation of experience and knowledge of Guru Amardas, who became Guru in his seventies. He was the richest Guru, gathering wealth, knowledge, experience, and following a particular school of thought, Vaishnavism, before he became a devotee of Guru Angad. Having lived such a long life and walked many paths, trying many things, Guru Amardas is emphasizing for us that it is only through the teaching of the Wisdom that there can be peace within the mind and body. This is how the ultimate pain of separation is eliminated. The Wisdom is always available to us, and it never runs out. Will we enshrine the teachings of the Wisdom in our hearts? Will we imbue ourselves in Identification? Will we find peace within?
On whose forehead the Writ is inscribed, in that mind of that being, the one Prabhu has dwelt. Guru Amardas continues that being who seeks the guidance of the Wisdom neither comes nor goes. We can understand this classically as being freed from the cycle of birth and death. We can think of this as also a ceasing of wandering in our day-to-day lives—in the comings and goings that might happen within hours, minutes, or seconds. All coming and going ends, and the seeker no longer endures pain and suffering. That ultimate pain of separation is wiped away. That internal wavering is steadied. Drenched in the love of Nam (Identification with IkOankar), the seeker is immersed in sahaj. The word ‘sahaj’ refers to a state of Divine love and awareness that is beyond the influence of worldly attachment. When a seeker continuously and consistently implements the teachings of the Wisdom in life, when they exist in a relationship with the One, and devotely engage in Remembrance, Praise, and Identification, this state of sahaj transpires, and it becomes permanently etched in the consciousness. This is a perpetual state of Divine love and awareness.
Guru Amardas says that the Wisdom-centered seeker sees the all-pervading IkOankar as present. What does it mean to see IkOankar as present? The Wisdom-centered, the Wisdom-facing one, experiences the constant presence of the One, always pervading all things. Guru Amardas ends with a very personal statement in the first person: My Prabhu is pervading at all times. Here, Guru Amardas invokes the divine-synonymous name Prabhu. This name highlights the royal and godlike nature of IkOankar, who fulfills a particular role of goodness and compassion. This is the royal One who is capable of helping us when no one else can. There is both a vastness of the One being conveyed and also the deep intimacy in the relationship with that One. This is a personal relationship, forever. It is important to think more about the accumulation of experience and knowledge of Guru Amardas, who became Guru in his seventies. He was the richest Guru, gathering wealth, knowledge, experience, and following a particular school of thought, Vaishnavism, before he became a devotee of Guru Angad. Having lived such a long life and walked many paths, trying many things, Guru Amardas is emphasizing for us that it is only through the teaching of the Wisdom that there can be peace within the mind and body. This is how the ultimate pain of separation is eliminated. The Wisdom is always available to us, and it never runs out. Will we enshrine the teachings of the Wisdom in our hearts? Will we imbue ourselves in Identification? Will we find peace within?
