Dear Members,
I share with you my understanding of 5th Pauri of Japji Sahib.
In this Pauri, Guru Sahib has tried to convey to us what could be explained about ‘Karta Purakh’ with all the limitations of the tools of communication that we humans have i.e. words and perceptions. In the end he tells that all the beings have a link to one common entity and this should never be forgotten. The details of my understanding is given below.
QwipAw n jwie kIqw n hoie ] thaapi-aa na jaa-ay keetaa na ho-ay.
In this sentence Guru Sahib has stated that we cannot form/construct ‘Karta Purakh’, we cannot create him.
Awpy Awip inrMjnu soie ] aapay aap niranjan so-ay.
Here Guru sahib conveys to us that the ‘Karta Purakh’, the spotless, the blemish less, the immaculate is there on its own. In other words Guru Sahib tells us that ‘Sat’ does not need any sustenance or support or any other input from outside (if we look deeper there is no outside for Karta Purakh every entity is within ‘The Absolute’) - ‘ Sat Kartar’ is comprehensive.
ijin syivAw iqin pwieAw mwnu ] jin sayvi-aa tin paa-i-aa maan.
Guru Sahib says that those who serve ‘Karta Purakh’ are honoured.
The question that comes to my mind is that ‘Karta Purakh’ is ‘Nirakaar’ how can we serve this entity? It cannot be the way we serve our elders. After pondering over this issue, I come to what is my current thinking. Presently, I hold the opinion that I can serve ‘Karta Purakh’ by living my internal life based on truth, contentment, and thoughtfulness; interface with the outside world based on sharing, compassion and finally by remaining imbued in the ‘Karta Purakh’, keeping in mind what Guru Sahib has said in the end of this Pauri.
nwnk gwvIAY guxI inDwnu ] naanak gaavee-ai gunee niDhaan.
Guru Sahib says that one should sing of ‘Karta Purakh’ who is the treasure of positive attributes.
gwvIAY suxIAY min rKIAY Bwau ] gaavee-ai sunee-ai man rakhee-ai bhaa-o.
Guru Sahib says that one should sing, listen, and keep in the thought of ‘Karta Purakh’
In the above two sentences Guru Sahib is telling us how to remained imbued in ‘Karta Purakh’
duKu prhir suKu Gir lY jwie ] dukh parhar sukh ghar lai jaa-ay.
The meaning of these words is that your suffering will cease and the ‘sukh’ (happiness) will come to your home.
This meaning gives me a feeling that there is a mechanical exchange, which I think cannot be true; ‘Karta Purakh’ is not a trader. I hold the opinion that it is not for ‘Karta Purakh’ to help us get over the sufferings from our life. This I say because I know that we ourselves are the cause of our sufferings. As Guru Sahib has said in 4th Pauri that this ‘life form’ that one has got is the result of the individuals Karmas, so for the bad Karmas the Hukam will act, one cannot escape from sufferings.
When I read the previous sentence and this one together, the implied intent of the message Guru Sahib is giving us and the process that give effect to its meaning becomes clear.
The process that gives effect to what Guru Sahib has said, as I understand today, is that when the individual is imbued with the greatness of ‘Karta Purakh’, the dualities of ‘sukh’ and ‘dukh’ will disappear from the thinking of the individual and only life as it comes will remain which is within the ‘Hukam’ of ‘Karta Purakh’. This absence of conflict among the dualities will give peace and that is the implied meaning of sukh in this sentence. The Ghar referrer to in this sentence, to me, does not mean the place where we live – dwelling or residence or home; it is the mind where the dualities reside and the resulting suffering and pleasures are felt.
Please note:
I have used the word suffering and not pain. Pain is connected with the body and cannot be avoided by any being; the suffering is mental and can be avoided by suitable conditioning the attitudes.
gurmuiK nwdM gurmuiK vydM gurmuiK rihAw smweI ] gurmukh naadaN gurmukh vaydaN gurmukh rahi-aa samaa-ee.
This sentence tells that Guru’s word is the original sound, the wisdom of all the Vedas and his word pervades all over.
guru eIsru guru gorKu brmw guru pwrbqI mweI ] gur eesar gur gorakh barmaa gur paarbatee maa-ee.
Here Guru Sahib says that Guru is Shiva, Vishnu, Brahma, and Paarvati.
The above two sentences I take together because the central idea in it appears to me the same. Guru Sahib had to start from where his audience was. The mythological concepts (Naad etc) and figures (Shiva, Vishnu, Brahma etc) were all well ingrained in the mind of those who were seeking spiritual guidance from him. This was essential for effective communication. In the above two sentences he has conveyed that all of them are one.
Please note:
Use of these concept and name of the figure by Guru Sahibs in explaining does not mean that those concepts and figures are true or Guru Sahib is endorsing the mythology to which they belong.
jy hau jwxw AwKw nwhI khxw kQnu n jweI ] jay ha-o jaanaa aakhaa naahee kahnaa kathan na jaa-ee.
In this sentence Guru Sahib is telling us that even knowing ‘Karta Purakh’ this entity cannot be described, it simply cannot be stated (he know that because that is the case with him). Here he is telling us the limitation words and perceptions; the tools we humans use to communicate
gurw iek dyih buJweI ] guraa ik dayhi bujhaa-ee.
Guru Sahib now tells us one very important aspect that he has learnt/ understood from his Guru – ‘Karta Purakh.
sBnw jIAw kw ieku dwqw so mY ivsir n jweI ]5] sabhnaa jee-aa kaa ik daataa so mai visar na jaa-ee. ||5||
This learning he share with us in this sentence and that is all the life forms come from the same source and this is never to be forgotten.
In a way he is saying that all the being have the same link, we are in this way one. This is what I meant above where I discussed how to serve ‘Nirakaar’
With Love and Respect for all.
Amarpal
I share with you my understanding of 5th Pauri of Japji Sahib.
In this Pauri, Guru Sahib has tried to convey to us what could be explained about ‘Karta Purakh’ with all the limitations of the tools of communication that we humans have i.e. words and perceptions. In the end he tells that all the beings have a link to one common entity and this should never be forgotten. The details of my understanding is given below.
QwipAw n jwie kIqw n hoie ] thaapi-aa na jaa-ay keetaa na ho-ay.
In this sentence Guru Sahib has stated that we cannot form/construct ‘Karta Purakh’, we cannot create him.
Awpy Awip inrMjnu soie ] aapay aap niranjan so-ay.
Here Guru sahib conveys to us that the ‘Karta Purakh’, the spotless, the blemish less, the immaculate is there on its own. In other words Guru Sahib tells us that ‘Sat’ does not need any sustenance or support or any other input from outside (if we look deeper there is no outside for Karta Purakh every entity is within ‘The Absolute’) - ‘ Sat Kartar’ is comprehensive.
ijin syivAw iqin pwieAw mwnu ] jin sayvi-aa tin paa-i-aa maan.
Guru Sahib says that those who serve ‘Karta Purakh’ are honoured.
The question that comes to my mind is that ‘Karta Purakh’ is ‘Nirakaar’ how can we serve this entity? It cannot be the way we serve our elders. After pondering over this issue, I come to what is my current thinking. Presently, I hold the opinion that I can serve ‘Karta Purakh’ by living my internal life based on truth, contentment, and thoughtfulness; interface with the outside world based on sharing, compassion and finally by remaining imbued in the ‘Karta Purakh’, keeping in mind what Guru Sahib has said in the end of this Pauri.
nwnk gwvIAY guxI inDwnu ] naanak gaavee-ai gunee niDhaan.
Guru Sahib says that one should sing of ‘Karta Purakh’ who is the treasure of positive attributes.
gwvIAY suxIAY min rKIAY Bwau ] gaavee-ai sunee-ai man rakhee-ai bhaa-o.
Guru Sahib says that one should sing, listen, and keep in the thought of ‘Karta Purakh’
In the above two sentences Guru Sahib is telling us how to remained imbued in ‘Karta Purakh’
duKu prhir suKu Gir lY jwie ] dukh parhar sukh ghar lai jaa-ay.
The meaning of these words is that your suffering will cease and the ‘sukh’ (happiness) will come to your home.
This meaning gives me a feeling that there is a mechanical exchange, which I think cannot be true; ‘Karta Purakh’ is not a trader. I hold the opinion that it is not for ‘Karta Purakh’ to help us get over the sufferings from our life. This I say because I know that we ourselves are the cause of our sufferings. As Guru Sahib has said in 4th Pauri that this ‘life form’ that one has got is the result of the individuals Karmas, so for the bad Karmas the Hukam will act, one cannot escape from sufferings.
When I read the previous sentence and this one together, the implied intent of the message Guru Sahib is giving us and the process that give effect to its meaning becomes clear.
The process that gives effect to what Guru Sahib has said, as I understand today, is that when the individual is imbued with the greatness of ‘Karta Purakh’, the dualities of ‘sukh’ and ‘dukh’ will disappear from the thinking of the individual and only life as it comes will remain which is within the ‘Hukam’ of ‘Karta Purakh’. This absence of conflict among the dualities will give peace and that is the implied meaning of sukh in this sentence. The Ghar referrer to in this sentence, to me, does not mean the place where we live – dwelling or residence or home; it is the mind where the dualities reside and the resulting suffering and pleasures are felt.
Please note:
I have used the word suffering and not pain. Pain is connected with the body and cannot be avoided by any being; the suffering is mental and can be avoided by suitable conditioning the attitudes.
gurmuiK nwdM gurmuiK vydM gurmuiK rihAw smweI ] gurmukh naadaN gurmukh vaydaN gurmukh rahi-aa samaa-ee.
This sentence tells that Guru’s word is the original sound, the wisdom of all the Vedas and his word pervades all over.
guru eIsru guru gorKu brmw guru pwrbqI mweI ] gur eesar gur gorakh barmaa gur paarbatee maa-ee.
Here Guru Sahib says that Guru is Shiva, Vishnu, Brahma, and Paarvati.
The above two sentences I take together because the central idea in it appears to me the same. Guru Sahib had to start from where his audience was. The mythological concepts (Naad etc) and figures (Shiva, Vishnu, Brahma etc) were all well ingrained in the mind of those who were seeking spiritual guidance from him. This was essential for effective communication. In the above two sentences he has conveyed that all of them are one.
Please note:
Use of these concept and name of the figure by Guru Sahibs in explaining does not mean that those concepts and figures are true or Guru Sahib is endorsing the mythology to which they belong.
jy hau jwxw AwKw nwhI khxw kQnu n jweI ] jay ha-o jaanaa aakhaa naahee kahnaa kathan na jaa-ee.
In this sentence Guru Sahib is telling us that even knowing ‘Karta Purakh’ this entity cannot be described, it simply cannot be stated (he know that because that is the case with him). Here he is telling us the limitation words and perceptions; the tools we humans use to communicate
gurw iek dyih buJweI ] guraa ik dayhi bujhaa-ee.
Guru Sahib now tells us one very important aspect that he has learnt/ understood from his Guru – ‘Karta Purakh.
sBnw jIAw kw ieku dwqw so mY ivsir n jweI ]5] sabhnaa jee-aa kaa ik daataa so mai visar na jaa-ee. ||5||
This learning he share with us in this sentence and that is all the life forms come from the same source and this is never to be forgotten.
In a way he is saying that all the being have the same link, we are in this way one. This is what I meant above where I discussed how to serve ‘Nirakaar’
With Love and Respect for all.
Amarpal
