"Human Deh" is a horse, a beast of burden, which takes the whip of Divine love, and wears the saddle of meditation to reach the ultimate destination. My deh, your deh, deh of Guru Arjan Dev ji .... a horse that crosses the terrifying world ocean, and with Guru's grace, the rider realizes the Sat. Whether we call Guru Arjan Dev an avatar, an incarnation, these are labels, sometimes very misleading labels. Too much can be made of the wrong aspect of "body and soul."
Duality is over come when a human life is blessed with God's love, and does some work of its own too:
Imbued with God's love, the God's lover, night and day, sings God's praise and becomes like. God.
The body which takes the form of human life is a fine horse like "fine gold." With the grace of the Guru becomes imbued with the color of the poppy, red, the color of divine love. That body/horse is beautiful only when it is "bedecked" with the name of Hari.
- That body/mare was created to wear the saddle of meditation on the Lord's name.
The good Lord's meditation is the saddle, which I put on the body mare.
- Understanding and love, gian and prem, take the place of the bridle and whip.
Applying the whip of the Lord's love to his body, the holy man/gurmukh conquers his mind and wins the battle
- That body/mare needs to hear the divine music uttered by the Guru...in other words ...the horse must heed the horse-whisperer to be imbued with God's love.
Hearing with thine, ears, the hymns, uttered by the Guru, imbue thou, thy body steed, with God's love.
- That body/mare attains merit by living a virtuous life.
By which the Lord God is meditated upon, auspicious and praise-worthy is that body mare. It is obtained through the accumulated past good actions.
- That body/mare races through life in but a flash in time, a fleeting horse, by design. We ride her to supreme bliss through meditation (the saddle).
The fleeting body mare has been created by my Lord Master.
- That body/mare is the beast of burden, who takes us to our final destination
Mounting the body mare, the mortal crosses the arduous world ocean and by Guru's grace, meets with God, the embodiment of supreme bliss.
ੴ ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਪ੍ਰਸਾਦਿ ॥
Ik▫oaʼnkār saṯgur parsāḏ.
There is but One God. By True Guru's grace, He is obtained.
ਦੇਹ ਤੇਜਣਿ ਜੀ ਰਾਮਿ ਉਪਾਈਆ ਰਾਮ ॥
Blessed is the human life, which is attained through virtue.
ਮਾਣਸ ਜਨਮੁ ਵਡ ਪੁੰਨੇ ਪਾਇਆ ਦੇਹ ਸੁ ਕੰਚਨ ਚੰਗੜੀਆ ॥
Māṇas janam vad punne pā▫i▫ā ḏeh so kancẖan cẖangṛī▫ā.
The human life obtained by supreme merit and the said body is like the fine gold.
ਗੁਰਮੁਖਿ ਰੰਗੁ ਚਲੂਲਾ ਪਾਵੈ ਹਰਿ ਹਰਿ ਹਰਿ ਨਵ ਰੰਗੜੀਆ ॥
Gurmukẖ rang cẖalūlā pāvai har har har nav rangṛī▫ā.
By Guru's grace the body attains the poppy flower like colour, and is imbued in the new colour of Lords God's Name.
ਏਹ ਦੇਹ ਸੁ ਬਾਂਕੀ ਜਿਤੁ ਹਰਿ ਜਾਪੀ ਹਰਿ ਹਰਿ ਨਾਮਿ ਸੁਹਾਵੀਆ ॥
Ėh ḏeh so bāʼnkī jiṯ har jāpī har har nām suhāvī▫ā.
Very beauteous is this body, which dwells on God and with the Lord God's Name, it is bedecked.
ਵਡਭਾਗੀ ਪਾਈ ਨਾਮੁ ਸਖਾਈ ਜਨ ਨਾਨਕ ਰਾਮਿ ਉਪਾਈਆ ॥੧॥
vadbẖāgī pā▫ī nām sakẖā▫ī jan Nānak rām upā▫ī▫ā. ||1||
Through the greatest good fortune, this body is obtained. The Lord's Name is its succourer and the Lord has created it, O slave Nanak.
ਦੇਹ ਪਾਵਉ ਜੀਨੁ ਬੁਝਿ ਚੰਗਾ ਰਾਮ ॥
Ḏeh pāva▫o jīn bujẖ cẖanga rām.
The good Lord's meditation is the saddle, which I put on the body mare.
ਚੜਿ ਲੰਘਾ ਜੀ ਬਿਖਮੁ ਭੁਇਅੰਗਾ ਰਾਮ ॥
Cẖaṛ langẖā jī bikẖam bẖu▫i▫angā rām.
Riding this body mare, I cross the arduous world ocean.
ਬਿਖਮੁ ਭੁਇਅੰਗਾ ਅਨਤ ਤਰੰਗਾ ਗੁਰਮੁਖਿ ਪਾਰਿ ਲੰਘਾਏ ॥
Bikẖam bẖu▫i▫angā anaṯ ṯarangā gurmukẖ pār langẖā▫e.
The difficult ocean has countless waves and the Supreme Guru, ferries the man across.
ਹਰਿ ਬੋਹਿਥਿ ਚੜਿ ਵਡਭਾਗੀ ਲੰਘੈ ਗੁਰੁ ਖੇਵਟੁ ਸਬਦਿ ਤਰਾਏ ॥
Har bohith cẖaṛ vadbẖāgī langẖai gur kẖevat sabaḏ ṯarā▫e.
Embarking on the Lord's ship, the fortunate ones cross over the with his hymns, Guru's the boatman, ferries across the mortals.
ਅਨਦਿਨੁ ਹਰਿ ਰੰਗਿ ਹਰਿ ਗੁਣ ਗਾਵੈ ਹਰਿ ਰੰਗੀ ਹਰਿ ਰੰਗਾ ॥
An▫ḏin har rang har guṇ gāvai har rangī har rangā.
Imbued with God's love, the God's lover, night and day, sings God's praise and becomes like. God.
ਜਨ ਨਾਨਕ ਨਿਰਬਾਣ ਪਦੁ ਪਾਇਆ ਹਰਿ ਉਤਮੁ ਹਰਿ ਪਦੁ ਚੰਗਾ ॥੨॥
Jan Nānak nirbāṇ paḏ pā▫i▫ā har uṯam har paḏ cẖanga. ||2||
The servant, O Nanak, has attained the state of emancipation, the Lord's commendable and sublime Divine state.
ਕੜੀਆਲੁ ਮੁਖੇ ਗੁਰਿ ਗਿਆਨੁ ਦ੍ਰਿੜਾਇਆ ਰਾਮ ॥
Kaṛī▫āl mukẖe gur gi▫ān driṛ▫ā▫i▫ā rām.
In place of the bridle in the mouth, the Guru has implanted gnosis/understanding within me.
ਤਨਿ ਪ੍ਰੇਮੁ ਹਰਿ ਚਾਬਕੁ ਲਾਇਆ ਰਾਮ ॥
Ŧan parem har cẖābak lā▫i▫ā rām.
He has applied the whip of God's love to my body.
ਤਨਿ ਪ੍ਰੇਮੁ ਹਰਿ ਹਰਿ ਲਾਇ ਚਾਬਕੁ ਮਨੁ ਜਿਣੈ ਗੁਰਮੁਖਿ ਜੀਤਿਆ ॥
Ŧan parem har har lā▫e cẖābak man jiṇai gurmukẖ jīṯi▫ā.
Applying the whip of the Lord's love to his body, the holy man/gurmukh conquers his mind and wins the battle.
ਅਘੜੋ ਘੜਾਵੈ ਸਬਦੁ ਪਾਵੈ ਅਪਿਉ ਹਰਿ ਰਸੁ ਪੀਤਿਆ ॥
Agẖ▫ṛo gẖaṛāvai sabaḏ pāvai api▫o har ras pīṯi▫ā.
He trains his untrained mind with the Divine word and drinks in the animating God's Nectar
ਸੁਣਿ ਸ੍ਰਵਣ ਬਾਣੀ ਗੁਰਿ ਵਖਾਣੀ ਹਰਿ ਰੰਗੁ ਤੁਰੀ ਚੜਾਇਆ ॥
Suṇ sarvaṇ baṇī gur vakẖāṇī har rang ṯurī cẖaṛā▫i▫ā.
Hearing with thine, ears, the hymns, uttered by the Guru, imbue thou, thy body steed, with God's love.
ਮਹਾ ਮਾਰਗੁ ਪੰਥੁ ਬਿਖੜਾ ਜਨ ਨਾਨਕ ਪਾਰਿ ਲੰਘਾਇਆ ॥੩॥
Mahā mārag panth bikẖ▫ṛā jan Nānak pār langẖā▫i▫ā. ||3||
Servant Nanak has traversed across the path, the very arduous path of death.
ਘੋੜੀ ਤੇਜਣਿ ਦੇਹ ਰਾਮਿ ਉਪਾਈਆ ਰਾਮ ॥
Gẖoṛī ṯejaṇ ḏeh rām upā▫ī▫ā rām.
The fleeting body mare has been created by my Lord Master.
ਜਿਤੁ ਹਰਿ ਪ੍ਰਭੁ ਜਾਪੈ ਸਾ ਧਨੁ ਧੰਨੁ ਤੁਖਾਈਆ ਰਾਮ ॥
Jiṯ har parabẖ jāpai sā ḏẖan ḏẖan ṯukẖā▫ī▫ā rām.
Blessed! blessed is the body mare, by which the Lord God is meditated upon.
ਜਿਤੁ ਹਰਿ ਪ੍ਰਭੁ ਜਾਪੈ ਸਾ ਧੰਨੁ ਸਾਬਾਸੈ ਧੁਰਿ ਪਾਇਆ ਕਿਰਤੁ ਜੁੜੰਦਾ ॥
Jiṯ har parabẖ jāpai sā ḏẖan sābāsai ḏẖur pā▫i▫ā kiraṯ juṛanḏā.
By which the Lord God is meditated upon, auspicious and praise-worthy is that body mare. It is obtained through the accumulated past good actions.
ਚੜਿ ਦੇਹੜਿ ਘੋੜੀ ਬਿਖਮੁ ਲਘਾਏ ਮਿਲੁ ਗੁਰਮੁਖਿ ਪਰਮਾਨੰਦਾ ॥
Cẖaṛ ḏehaṛ gẖoṛī bikẖam lagẖā▫e mil gurmukẖ parmānanḏā.
Mounting the body mare, the mortal crosses the arduous world ocean and by Guru's grace, meets with God, the embodiment of supreme bliss.
ਹਰਿ ਹਰਿ ਕਾਜੁ ਰਚਾਇਆ ਪੂਰੈ ਮਿਲਿ ਸੰਤ ਜਨਾ ਜੰਞ ਆਈ ॥
Har har kāj racẖā▫i▫ā pūrai mil sanṯ janā jañ ā▫ī.
The Perfect Lord Master has arranged the wedding. Meeting together, the pious persons have come as a marriage party.
ਜਨ ਨਾਨਕ ਹਰਿ ਵਰੁ ਪਾਇਆ ਮੰਗਲੁ ਮਿਲਿ ਸੰਤ ਜਨਾ ਵਾਧਾਈ ॥੪॥੧॥੫॥
Jan Nānak har var pā▫i▫ā mangal mil sanṯ janā vāḏẖā▫ī. ||4||1||5||
The serf Nanak, has obtained God as his spouse, Meeting together, the saints sing the song of joy and congratulate him.
Ang 575, Guru Ram Das
The metaphor of a horse, very often a mare, a female horse, is used over and over. The horse carries her rider, as the body carries the soul. The metaphor is used to stress that the purpose of this body is to do work, to live a life of virtuous action and to mediate on God's name, in order to carry the burden of the soul to its ultimate destination. The path of this body/horse is an arduous journey to death. No glamorous, intensely theosophical script is played out in the shabad. The body is a horse, not an avatar of a celestial divinity. Guru Arjan Dev knew that when he sat on the hotplate. When he made his own arduous journey. Were he an avatar in the Vedic way, we would be talking instead of his ingenious and speedy escape, not his martyrdom. He did instead what he had to do.
