Dear Khalsa Ji,
I share with you all, my understanding of the 8th Pauri of 5th Ashtapadee of Sukhmani Sahib. Please note that the English sentence after the Transliteration is not the exact literal translation of the sentence, it is the meaning of the tuk as understood by me.
First the summary of the Pauri: Guru Sahib has been very polite in explaining the way to ‘The Truth’. Guru Sahib has started this Pauri with what we normally do ( Prayers demanding worldly entities) and in the end, without saying that we are wrong, told us what he had been doing ( meditation on ‘The Sat’). This way Guru Sahib has conveyed to us “The Way’ for spiritual evolution.
1. krau bynqI pwrbRhmu sBu jwnY ] kara-o bayntee paarbarahm sabh jaanai.
Offering prayers, ‘The Sat’ knows everything.
My understanding:
We keep praying to ‘The Sat’; asking for things that we need in life. Guru Sahib says that ‘The Sat’ knows every thing; ‘The Sat’ knows the cause of the need and the effect of the need being fulfilled or otherwise; ‘The Sat’ knows the all the attributes of the environment which generated the need; ‘The Sat’ knows the purity of the thought behind generation of the need. ‘The Sat’ knows every aspect of what we pray for.
2. Apnw kIAw Awpih mwnY ] apnaa kee-aa aapeh maanai.
What ‘The Sat’ has done, ‘The Sat’ takes care of it.
My understanding:
In every living entity, there is a part which has become part of the it without any effort or participation from the side of the particular living entity. For example, our body took this form in mother’s womb without even ourselves knowing it. Even when we grow up and acquire consciousness, yet most part of our body keeps working without our real participation. As I understand it is this part of our being that Guru Sahib is referring too as what ‘The Sat’ has done, it continues to take care of it.
3. Awpih Awp Awip krq inbyrw ] aapeh aap aap karat nibayraa.
On its own and by itself, ‘The Sat’ resolves the problems.
My understanding:
Guru Sahib says that the aspects of the living entity which ‘The Sat’ has formed, ‘The Sat’ takes care of them and resolves the problems that arise in it. We cannot intrude into this domain. It is exclusive preserve of ‘The Sat’.
4. iksY dUir jnwvq iksY buJwvq nyrw ] kisai door janaavat kisai bujhaavat nayraa.
To some, He appears far away, while others perceive Him near at hand.
My understanding:
. As we all know some school of thoughts say that ‘The Sat’ is in heavens beyond our reach, while others say that ‘The Sat’ is within each individual. Guru Sahib here point out the different perception people have about the same entity ‘The Sat’.
5. aupwv isAwnp sgl qy rhq ] upaav si-aanap sagal tay rahat.
‘The Sat’ is beyond all procedures and clever tricks.
My understanding:
Guru Sahib tells us that ‘The Sat’ cannot be realized by any procedure or prescribed method. As I understand, religiosity, where one follows the truth experienced by some one else, has company - where people discuss and pray together; spirituality - where one starts searching for ones one truth - starts where religion ends; the spiritual path to divinity is very lonely, one has to walk alone, there is no help from the world. The spiritual path ends with Gurparsadee, when the person experiences ‘The Sat’ and thus discovers the truth.
6. sBu kCu jwnY Awqm kI rhq ] sabh kachh jaanai aatam kee rahat.
‘The Sat’ knows all that relates to the existence of the inner self.
My understanding:
Guru Sahib tells his audience that all that constitutes our inner self. There is nothing in us that is hidden from ‘The Sat’. This is my very personal understanding that the entity that sustains life in me is ‘The Sat’; without ‘The Sat’ being in me, I am just body – the scripture of the land has called it Mitty (mud or nothing useful). It is just natural that ‘The Sat’ will know all about my body and my inner self.
7. ijsu BwvY iqsu ley liV lwie ] jis bhaavai tis la-ay larh laa-ay.
Those who are tuned to ‘The Sat’ they get latched to ‘The Sat’.
My understanding:
It is again my conviction that ‘The Sat’ is impartial. If it was not so, ‘The Sat’ would have stopped sustaining life in those individuals who are not pure. But, we all know ‘The Sat’ keeps sustaining life in all sorts of beings no matter what there quality or contribution to the creation of ‘The Sat’ is.
With this understanding, I conclude that the word ‘Bhaavai’ in this sentence is a metaphor to indicate likeness or similarity. When the being of the person becomes purer and purer, her or his thoughts, speech and actions will become more and more selfless. This way the person becomes more and more like ‘The Sat’, we all know that ‘The Sat’ is selfless in absolute sense. The selfless state of one’s being allows the person to perceive the ‘Truth’ living in this dual world of Maya. Such an evolved person, having realized the falsehood of Maya is not entrapped by it and remains latched to ‘The Sat’.
8. Qwn Qnµqir rihAw smwie ] thaan thanantar rahi-aa samaa-ay.
‘The Sat’ is omnipresent; ‘The Sat’ is present every where.
My understanding:
One has to understand, that all that is, is ‘The Sat’. The appearance makes one feel that the entities are different. Hydrogen is different from helium is different from lead, is different from Plutonium and so on. They appear to be different because they are constituted in different way, yet they all that the same elementary particles; at so level they are similar. Ultimately, as we go to smaller and smaller level there is a possibility that the source of all these is same. When small is same the larger too has to be same, the creator and the creation are same and one. It is all ‘Ek’ the source i.e. “Ongkar’ constituted or configured in different way generates apparently different forms (Akaar) i.e. bodies - living and non-living. Thus this ‘Ek Ongkar’ i.e. ‘The Sat’, being the source of all pervade every where; all that is, is ‘The Sat’.
9. so syvku ijsu ikrpw krI ] so sayvak jis kirpaa karee.
The devotee who is blessed.
My understanding:
Here we have to understand what is meant by the word ‘Kirpa’ which I have referred to as blessing.
As I understand, ‘The Sat’ is never partial. ‘The Sat’ helps the person all the times. The goal for the life is set by the individual. This goal is set by the natural tendencies of the person concerned. The tendencies in the person come from her or his past Karmas.
The person who has the tendencies, which create the being of the person pure and selflessness, take the person towards ‘The Sat’. ‘The Sat’, within the person, will then naturally guide the thoughts, speech and action of the person – all will become Godly. Such happening is ‘Kirpa’ as ‘The Sat’ is now driving all aspects of this persons existence; it is this blessing Guru Sahib is speaking about.
10. inmK inmK jip nwnk hrI ]8]5] nimakh nimakh jap naanak haree. ||8||5||
All the time the person id immersed in meditation.
The person who has become spiritual is all the time linked to ‘The Sat’.
Meditation to me means linking with ‘The Sat’. It is not only in Samadhi that the devotee is linked to ‘The Sat’, the person whose all thoughts, all acts, all speech are selfless in the larger interest of the creation of ‘The Sat’ is deemed to be meditating, since all the time it is linked to ‘The Sat’.
Sitting in a place and meditation is only a beginning. Even when performing the worldly tasks as part of ‘Human Dharma’ the person’s acts are Godly; this way the person is all the time linked with ‘The Sat’ and hence meditation all the time. The person need not withdraw from the world for meditating. Our Guru Sahib lived as house hold and yet remained in meditation all the time.
This type of meditation is the guide to spiritual life – the path way to divinity
With this I close the post
With love and respect for all.
Amarpal Singh
I share with you all, my understanding of the 8th Pauri of 5th Ashtapadee of Sukhmani Sahib. Please note that the English sentence after the Transliteration is not the exact literal translation of the sentence, it is the meaning of the tuk as understood by me.
First the summary of the Pauri: Guru Sahib has been very polite in explaining the way to ‘The Truth’. Guru Sahib has started this Pauri with what we normally do ( Prayers demanding worldly entities) and in the end, without saying that we are wrong, told us what he had been doing ( meditation on ‘The Sat’). This way Guru Sahib has conveyed to us “The Way’ for spiritual evolution.
1. krau bynqI pwrbRhmu sBu jwnY ] kara-o bayntee paarbarahm sabh jaanai.
Offering prayers, ‘The Sat’ knows everything.
My understanding:
We keep praying to ‘The Sat’; asking for things that we need in life. Guru Sahib says that ‘The Sat’ knows every thing; ‘The Sat’ knows the cause of the need and the effect of the need being fulfilled or otherwise; ‘The Sat’ knows the all the attributes of the environment which generated the need; ‘The Sat’ knows the purity of the thought behind generation of the need. ‘The Sat’ knows every aspect of what we pray for.
2. Apnw kIAw Awpih mwnY ] apnaa kee-aa aapeh maanai.
What ‘The Sat’ has done, ‘The Sat’ takes care of it.
My understanding:
In every living entity, there is a part which has become part of the it without any effort or participation from the side of the particular living entity. For example, our body took this form in mother’s womb without even ourselves knowing it. Even when we grow up and acquire consciousness, yet most part of our body keeps working without our real participation. As I understand it is this part of our being that Guru Sahib is referring too as what ‘The Sat’ has done, it continues to take care of it.
3. Awpih Awp Awip krq inbyrw ] aapeh aap aap karat nibayraa.
On its own and by itself, ‘The Sat’ resolves the problems.
My understanding:
Guru Sahib says that the aspects of the living entity which ‘The Sat’ has formed, ‘The Sat’ takes care of them and resolves the problems that arise in it. We cannot intrude into this domain. It is exclusive preserve of ‘The Sat’.
4. iksY dUir jnwvq iksY buJwvq nyrw ] kisai door janaavat kisai bujhaavat nayraa.
To some, He appears far away, while others perceive Him near at hand.
My understanding:
. As we all know some school of thoughts say that ‘The Sat’ is in heavens beyond our reach, while others say that ‘The Sat’ is within each individual. Guru Sahib here point out the different perception people have about the same entity ‘The Sat’.
5. aupwv isAwnp sgl qy rhq ] upaav si-aanap sagal tay rahat.
‘The Sat’ is beyond all procedures and clever tricks.
My understanding:
Guru Sahib tells us that ‘The Sat’ cannot be realized by any procedure or prescribed method. As I understand, religiosity, where one follows the truth experienced by some one else, has company - where people discuss and pray together; spirituality - where one starts searching for ones one truth - starts where religion ends; the spiritual path to divinity is very lonely, one has to walk alone, there is no help from the world. The spiritual path ends with Gurparsadee, when the person experiences ‘The Sat’ and thus discovers the truth.
6. sBu kCu jwnY Awqm kI rhq ] sabh kachh jaanai aatam kee rahat.
‘The Sat’ knows all that relates to the existence of the inner self.
My understanding:
Guru Sahib tells his audience that all that constitutes our inner self. There is nothing in us that is hidden from ‘The Sat’. This is my very personal understanding that the entity that sustains life in me is ‘The Sat’; without ‘The Sat’ being in me, I am just body – the scripture of the land has called it Mitty (mud or nothing useful). It is just natural that ‘The Sat’ will know all about my body and my inner self.
7. ijsu BwvY iqsu ley liV lwie ] jis bhaavai tis la-ay larh laa-ay.
Those who are tuned to ‘The Sat’ they get latched to ‘The Sat’.
My understanding:
It is again my conviction that ‘The Sat’ is impartial. If it was not so, ‘The Sat’ would have stopped sustaining life in those individuals who are not pure. But, we all know ‘The Sat’ keeps sustaining life in all sorts of beings no matter what there quality or contribution to the creation of ‘The Sat’ is.
With this understanding, I conclude that the word ‘Bhaavai’ in this sentence is a metaphor to indicate likeness or similarity. When the being of the person becomes purer and purer, her or his thoughts, speech and actions will become more and more selfless. This way the person becomes more and more like ‘The Sat’, we all know that ‘The Sat’ is selfless in absolute sense. The selfless state of one’s being allows the person to perceive the ‘Truth’ living in this dual world of Maya. Such an evolved person, having realized the falsehood of Maya is not entrapped by it and remains latched to ‘The Sat’.
8. Qwn Qnµqir rihAw smwie ] thaan thanantar rahi-aa samaa-ay.
‘The Sat’ is omnipresent; ‘The Sat’ is present every where.
My understanding:
One has to understand, that all that is, is ‘The Sat’. The appearance makes one feel that the entities are different. Hydrogen is different from helium is different from lead, is different from Plutonium and so on. They appear to be different because they are constituted in different way, yet they all that the same elementary particles; at so level they are similar. Ultimately, as we go to smaller and smaller level there is a possibility that the source of all these is same. When small is same the larger too has to be same, the creator and the creation are same and one. It is all ‘Ek’ the source i.e. “Ongkar’ constituted or configured in different way generates apparently different forms (Akaar) i.e. bodies - living and non-living. Thus this ‘Ek Ongkar’ i.e. ‘The Sat’, being the source of all pervade every where; all that is, is ‘The Sat’.
9. so syvku ijsu ikrpw krI ] so sayvak jis kirpaa karee.
The devotee who is blessed.
My understanding:
Here we have to understand what is meant by the word ‘Kirpa’ which I have referred to as blessing.
As I understand, ‘The Sat’ is never partial. ‘The Sat’ helps the person all the times. The goal for the life is set by the individual. This goal is set by the natural tendencies of the person concerned. The tendencies in the person come from her or his past Karmas.
The person who has the tendencies, which create the being of the person pure and selflessness, take the person towards ‘The Sat’. ‘The Sat’, within the person, will then naturally guide the thoughts, speech and action of the person – all will become Godly. Such happening is ‘Kirpa’ as ‘The Sat’ is now driving all aspects of this persons existence; it is this blessing Guru Sahib is speaking about.
10. inmK inmK jip nwnk hrI ]8]5] nimakh nimakh jap naanak haree. ||8||5||
All the time the person id immersed in meditation.
The person who has become spiritual is all the time linked to ‘The Sat’.
Meditation to me means linking with ‘The Sat’. It is not only in Samadhi that the devotee is linked to ‘The Sat’, the person whose all thoughts, all acts, all speech are selfless in the larger interest of the creation of ‘The Sat’ is deemed to be meditating, since all the time it is linked to ‘The Sat’.
Sitting in a place and meditation is only a beginning. Even when performing the worldly tasks as part of ‘Human Dharma’ the person’s acts are Godly; this way the person is all the time linked with ‘The Sat’ and hence meditation all the time. The person need not withdraw from the world for meditating. Our Guru Sahib lived as house hold and yet remained in meditation all the time.
This type of meditation is the guide to spiritual life – the path way to divinity
With this I close the post
With love and respect for all.
Amarpal Singh
