hari āpe āpu upāidā hari āpe devai lei.
hari āpe bharami bhulāidā hari āpe hī mati dei.
gurmukhā mani pargāsu hai se virle keī kei.
haü balihārī tin kaü jin hari pāiā gurmate.
jan nānaki kamalu pargāsiā mani hari hari vuṭhṛā he.4.
mani hari hari japanu kare.
hari gur sarṇāī bhaji paü jindū sabh kilvikh dukh parhare.1. rahāu.
-Guru Granth Sahib 82
In this stanza, while instructing the human mind to recite the Nam of IkOankar (the Divine), it has been explained: Through the Wisdom (Guru) and the contemplation of Nam, all transgressions and sufferings are removed. IkOankar is self-illuminated. IkOankar Own-Self creates and destroys. IkOankar Own-Self bestows both understanding and delusion. Rare is the being who realizes that IkOankar is all-Pervading and all-Capable. Those who realize it stay in a state of perpetual bliss.
Commentary
Literal Translation
Interpretive Transcreation
Poetical Dimension
Calligraphy
In the fourth stanza, Guru Ramdas says, O inner-self! Recite the ‘Hari-Hari’ recitation within the mind. Run, enter the sanctuary of the Wisdom-like Hari. Hari will remove all transgressions and sufferings. Hari is synonymous with IkOankar (One Creative and Pervasive Force, 1Force, the One) and can be translated as the 1-Light, the all-Pervasive, the Remover of Suffering, and the Fear-Eliminator. What does it mean to recite the recitation of Hari within the mind? We are roving traders — taught to transact. Reciting the recitation of the One within the mind is not a physical discipline, it is about contemplation within the consciousness that affects the inner self or the being within the body. The Guru’s instruction to our minds is this: cultivate a relationship with the One, Identify with the One, remember and praise the One within, such that ourinner-being is in relationship with the Wisdom, such that in the refuge of the Wisdom, we can meet the One. We are urged to run to the refuge of the Wisdom and the Wisdom-like Hari. We are urged not to delay. If we are in that refuge, if we are practicing contemplation of the One within, all our crimes, sins, transgressions, and missteps will run from us and vanish. These things are born in the mind, and they cause us great pain. All of this is taken care of when our minds are in the refuge of the Wisdom. The examples the Guru gives are tangible and physical, but the Wisdom does not only operate in the mind; it operates in the consciousness, and it changes the body, the mind, and the behaviors so that which cause us the most suffering and pain, cause us to transgress, all disappear.
O inner-self! Recite the ‘Hari-Hari’ recitation within the mind. The Guru dwells on who Hari, who IkOankar is. This is the One we are seeking to cultivate a relationship with. The One Own-Self creates Own-Self and is self-illuminated! The One Own-Self gives life to beings and takes it away. The Guru explores this paradox. We may only seek a relationship with the One when things are hard, when we are suffering or in pain. We struggle to practice remembrance when we are comfortable and are receiving. The Guru continues, saying that the One Own-Self puts us into delusion and misleads us, just as the One Own-Self imparts understanding. We are cast into doubt, causing us to be attached to the material world and relationships. Just as IkOankar places us on the path and brings us understanding. The Guru reminds us that everything categorized as good or bad is all part of the natural play of IkOankar. Everything that happens is through that One because of that One. We may know this logically — we may try to remind ourselves when we are frustrated or feel we have been ‘dealt a bad hand.’ However, this truth is much harder to understand and accept through our experiences. The Guru says that the Wisdom-oriented beings are those who realize that IkOankar alone is everything. But these beings are rare! The Guru says, I devote to those Wisdom-centered beings; I adore those who, through the teaching of the Wisdom, have found the One. These are the seekers who have recognized IkOankar as all-Pervading, as the only One. Their inner selves, minds, and bodies become illuminated from within. They can understand in their consciousness the paradox of giving and taking, causing delusion and bestowing understanding, as part of the play of IkOankar. These are the beings the Guru is devoted to, who the Guru humbly submits to because they have experienced the One through the Wisdom. The Guru says that the lotus has bloomed within, that the Nam, or Identification, of the One has come to dwell in the mind — that the One has come to dwell in the mind. This is not a quick transaction! It is like that of a lotus — even in the murkiest and muckiest of waters, it blooms. Even in the worst situations or scenarios, the ‘least fortunate’ environments, we can bloom in relationship with the Wisdom. This is not a thing that is only accessible to those who have a good ‘ecosystem’ or environment; this is for everyone!
We, too, can transcend impossibility — the lotus within us can bloom, even when the environment is murky. The lotus is invoked in classically religious paradigms as a symbol of enlightenment. However, in the Guru’s paradigm, ‘enlightenment’ is not about particular disciplines, efforts, rituals, or ‘good fortune’ associated with one’s positionality in the world. Enlightenment in the Guru’s paradigm is simply that the One has come to dwell in the mind. The empowering and beautiful thing is that the One always dwells within us. The question is whether or not we have been able to feel that One’s presence. Will we come to understand these paradoxes of the One within our consciousness? Will we recite the recitation of the One within our inner selves? Will we bloom from within?
O inner-self! Recite the ‘Hari-Hari’ recitation within the mind. The Guru dwells on who Hari, who IkOankar is. This is the One we are seeking to cultivate a relationship with. The One Own-Self creates Own-Self and is self-illuminated! The One Own-Self gives life to beings and takes it away. The Guru explores this paradox. We may only seek a relationship with the One when things are hard, when we are suffering or in pain. We struggle to practice remembrance when we are comfortable and are receiving. The Guru continues, saying that the One Own-Self puts us into delusion and misleads us, just as the One Own-Self imparts understanding. We are cast into doubt, causing us to be attached to the material world and relationships. Just as IkOankar places us on the path and brings us understanding. The Guru reminds us that everything categorized as good or bad is all part of the natural play of IkOankar. Everything that happens is through that One because of that One. We may know this logically — we may try to remind ourselves when we are frustrated or feel we have been ‘dealt a bad hand.’ However, this truth is much harder to understand and accept through our experiences. The Guru says that the Wisdom-oriented beings are those who realize that IkOankar alone is everything. But these beings are rare! The Guru says, I devote to those Wisdom-centered beings; I adore those who, through the teaching of the Wisdom, have found the One. These are the seekers who have recognized IkOankar as all-Pervading, as the only One. Their inner selves, minds, and bodies become illuminated from within. They can understand in their consciousness the paradox of giving and taking, causing delusion and bestowing understanding, as part of the play of IkOankar. These are the beings the Guru is devoted to, who the Guru humbly submits to because they have experienced the One through the Wisdom. The Guru says that the lotus has bloomed within, that the Nam, or Identification, of the One has come to dwell in the mind — that the One has come to dwell in the mind. This is not a quick transaction! It is like that of a lotus — even in the murkiest and muckiest of waters, it blooms. Even in the worst situations or scenarios, the ‘least fortunate’ environments, we can bloom in relationship with the Wisdom. This is not a thing that is only accessible to those who have a good ‘ecosystem’ or environment; this is for everyone!
We, too, can transcend impossibility — the lotus within us can bloom, even when the environment is murky. The lotus is invoked in classically religious paradigms as a symbol of enlightenment. However, in the Guru’s paradigm, ‘enlightenment’ is not about particular disciplines, efforts, rituals, or ‘good fortune’ associated with one’s positionality in the world. Enlightenment in the Guru’s paradigm is simply that the One has come to dwell in the mind. The empowering and beautiful thing is that the One always dwells within us. The question is whether or not we have been able to feel that One’s presence. Will we come to understand these paradoxes of the One within our consciousness? Will we recite the recitation of the One within our inner selves? Will we bloom from within?
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