Dear Khalsa Ji,
With the grace of ‘The Sat’, today I share my understanding of 7th Pauri of 7th Ashtapadee of Sukhmani Sahib with you.
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:
As done in the previous Pauri of this Ashtapadee, Guru Sahib is conveying to his disciples the effect that the company of pure and spiritually evolved people will have on their being. This is the positive factor of such association.
This can also be used as the criteria to determine the persons who will qualify for Saadh-Sangat. If in the company of a person, whom one presume to be a pure and evolved, these positive changes in do not start manifesting in your being, than there are good chances that the person is not a pure and spiritually evolved person. This way Guru Sahib is protecting us from possible deception.
1. swD kY sMig sunau hir nwau ] saaDh kai sang sun-o har naa-o.
In the company of spiritually evolved pure people, the person listens to ‘Naam’
My understanding:
If we tell a child that in the company of spiritually evolved pure people on listens to ‘Naam’. The evolving mind of child can ask, why to do so, record ‘Satnaam Waheguru’ on a CD any number of times and keep listening, what is so special in the company of spiritually evolved pure people. This doubt is fully justified and has come from an active thinker. It must be answered full and effectively in a manner that will accepted by any rational mind.
The paradigm of the idea of Naam i.e. the concept of Naam needs to be explained. Naam is not just a word which denote or directs your thinking towards ‘The Sat’. Naam is the sum total of teachings of Siri Guru Granth Sahib. When the person after understanding, resonates and reverberates with the teachings of Siri Guru Granth Sahib, then one can say that this person has received the gift of ‘Naam’. When the person resonates with these teachings the person is said to be listening to ‘Naam’.
In the company of spiritually evolved pure people, the new entrant sees the inner experience or listening to ‘Naam’ being applied and enacted in real life day in, day out, all the time by the evolved ones. The new entrant starts imitating what he experience in the company of the spiritually evolved pure people. The brain of the new entrant progressively gets re-formatted and the process of assimilation of teachings of Siri Guru Granth Sahib starts. This new entrant now becomes capable to see through Maya and dualities it creates. With the dirt and filth thus removed, which was covering the inner self, the being of the person gets fully illuminate by ‘The Sat’. Such a person is now resonating with ‘Naam’ – the person is listening to ‘Naam’; she or he is living in ‘Naam’.
This is my understanding of the Tuk above.
2. swDsMig hir ky gun gwau ] saaDhsang har kay gun gaa-o.
In the company of spiritually evolved pure people, one sings the attributes (Gunas) of ‘The Sat’.
My understanding:
Here singing is not to be taken literally; it is a metaphor. Resonance though is a state of vibration, it is an action; so is singing. When your life acts out the teachings of Siri Guru Granth Sahib, in musical terms, you are singing the attributes (Gunas) of ‘The Sat’. In other words Guru Sahib is telling us that the person in the company of spiritually evolved pure people lives a Godly life.
3. swD kY sMig n mn qy ibsrY ] saaDh kai sang na man tay bisrai.
In the company of spiritually evolved pure people the person never drifts away of get separated from ‘The Sat’.
My understanding:
Here one needs to understand the meaning of the word ‘Bisrai’ which means to get separated. A child can always say that if I have to keep remembering ‘The Sat’ all the time then when do I play? When do I do my studies? Similarly a working person can say that my brain can concentrate only one thing, e.g. on the safety critical, high integrity software I am working on or on ‘The Sat’; I cannot concentrate on both. All these positions are correct and yet must be rationally reconciled with what Guru Sahib has said.
This different in perception comes from the individuals taking a literal view of what Guru Sahib has said. Not moving away from ‘The Sat’ by doing Jaap or Simran or Meditation are the traditional ways of being with ‘The Sat’; these ways cannot be followed when the person is intensely involved in some work that require concentration of mental faculties for a long time. This tells us that there is something more to this in what Guru Sahib has said.
As I understand when the person has incorporated all the teachings of Siri Guru Granth Sahib in its being and the brain is fully formatted in accordance with these teachings, then all what the person does will have basis only in these teachings, which is Naam. This is so because the initiation of a thought, processing of the thought, the speech of the person, the physical actions of the person, all of them come from the functioning brain which is formatted by the teachings of Siri Guru Granth Sahib. Thus all what the person does is in accordance with ‘Naam’ i.e. ‘The Sat’. This way no matter what the person is engaged in, she or he will be truthfully involved in the task; this is the state of living where one never gets separated from ‘The Sat’.
Guru Sahib says in the company of spiritually evolved pure people, this state of being comes naturally to the person.
4. swDsMig srpr insqrY ] saaDhsang sarpar nistarai.
In the company of spiritually evolved pure people all are carried to their destination.
My understanding:
When the person lives in the company of spiritually evolved pure people, it also evolves to their level. This person losses all its ‘I-ness’; the person becomes the instrument of ‘The Sat’. In other words, except for the body, the person becomes one with ‘The Sat’. The actions of such a person result from the illumination she or he gets from ‘The Sat’. This is the state of being which is designated in Buddhism as NIRVANA. When the person leaves its present body it merges with ‘The Sat’. As I have said above, the person has already become a perfect instrument of ‘The Sat’; its being was already one with ‘The Sat’; only its body distinguished her or him to be separate from “The Sat’. When the body is shed, only The Sat’ remains, the person was already one with ‘The Sat’. This is what Guru Sahib is conveying to us in the above Tuk, as I understand.
5. swD kY sMig lgY pRBu mITw ] saaDh kai sang lagai parabh meethaa.
In the company of spiritually evolved pure people, one experiences the sweetness of ‘The Sat’.
My understanding:
To a worldly person, ‘The Sat’ remains a conceptual, abstract, remote entity. To them ‘The Sat’ becomes part of their routine prayers and nothing more. In their lives they are guided by worldly desires and their Ahamkara i.e. Ego.
For those who have the blessing of the company of spiritually evolved pure people and thus have themselves risen on spiritual scale, feel the presence of ‘The Sat’ within them. The feeling is very sweet because it gives the blissful joy. This is intensified further because, having risen above the worldly desires and having dissolved their own Ahamkara (ego), they experience this sweetness in full without any other attribute of theirs putting demand on their functioning brain and thus disturbing their concentration. They go into Samadhi and their inner self becomes one with ‘The Sat’; they experience ‘The Sat’ in full measure. The pleasant feeling that they get cannot be described in words, Guru Sahib has used the word ‘sweet’ which his audience understood.
6. swDU kY sMig Git Git fITw ] saaDhoo kai sang ghat ghat deethaa.
In the company of spiritually evolved pure people, one learns to see ‘The Sat’ in each entity all the time.
My understanding:
Living with and learning from spiritually evolved pure people, the person understands that the Akaar (forms or body) is only taken by the real (The Sat) to enact a role in this world. The body is equivalent to the dress one wears to perform a role in Drama. Knowing this truth, the person learns to see ‘Karta Purakh’ i.e. ‘The Sat’ in all that are living and non-living entities in creation. The entire creation of ‘The Sat’ becomes worthy of reverence and is taken care of. The person understands the linkages e.g. between clean air, water and soil, which are non-living aspects of ‘The Sat’ but are essential to support life. The continuity between all these apparently discreet entities is realized by the person and everywhere the person sees ‘The Sat’ in action all the time.
7. swDsMig Bey AwigAwkwrI ] saaDhsang bha-ay aagi-aakaaree.
In the company of spiritually evolved pure people, one becomes obedient.
My understanding:
In the company of the spiritually evolved pure people, the wisdom dawns on the person and it realizes that she or he is only and instrument of ‘The Sat’ and that the ‘Karta Purakh’ is the real doer. It also becomes apparent to him that out of the efforts she or he makes only those which ‘The Sat’ ordains only will fructify. With this the unease of failure leaves the person, she or he accept the ‘Hukam’ (order) of ‘The Sat’. This state of willing acceptance, as per my understanding, is what Guru Sahib has referred to as obedience in the above Tuk.
8. swDsMig giq BeI hmwrI ] saaDhsang gat bha-ee hamaaree.
In the company of spiritually evolved pure people, the person becomes like them.
My understanding:
Guru Sahib is pointing out the impact of the company on us. We become what the company is. Living with spiritually evolved pure people, the person too gets evolved and become similar in attribute to that of the people with whom it (she or he) lives.
9. swD kY sMig imty siB rog ] saaDh kai sang mitay sabh rog.
In the company of spiritually evolved people, all the diseases get curd.
My understanding:
Here I will have to share with you what I have seen happening.
(i) An engineer was diagnosed to have a tumor in his brain. This diagnosis was confirmed by second scan. The person was given medication and medical advised. This person listened to all and later threw away the medicine and went through his life in a normal way never even talking about his illness. Periodically this person was reminded by the doctor that he has to undergo a scan again to know the effect of the medicine. He continued to ignore it. More than a year passes; doctor took the help of this person’s friends and well wishers who persuaded him to have his brain scanned. The results showed no tumor. It has disappeared.
(ii) A family has a daughter and a son. The daughter started loosing control on her limbs and speech became unclear. It was diagnosed that metals are getting deposited in her brain. (I do not remember the name of the disease, but I was told it is very rare disease and cure too is very rare). After a year of so the daughter passé away. Few months after the son to showed similar appearance. The parents new that they are going to loose him too. They were very sad. They allowed the boy to do what ever he wanted. The teachers in school were told of his condition and inform by the parents that they just want to see this boy happy for the short time he may live. This boy was a decent child, but when ever he went of he was not punished or scolded. He enjoyed skating, even with the paining limbs he continued with skating. The mother started taking care of children in an orphanage, she told me, after some time I will have to see my son and daughter only in them. I personally know this family and their Satvika nature and living, they are from the hilly region of Himalayas.
To every body’s surprise, the condition of the boy started improving and finally he fully recovered. Now he is an engineer and is married with family.
All this I am narrating to you, to share with you what life has taught me and to convey that human brain has enormous power; it can heal any disease that can afflict human body. Science still has to discover the mechanics of this ability of the brain.
It is my considered opinion that the brain knows what is wrong with the body and it also knows how to cure it – nature has programmed it for this task. We all know the commands from this brain that helps sustain the conception develop of fetus and finally give birth to a baby – This is the power of our brain
In the company of spiritually evolve pure people the purity returns to the brain. Its effectiveness becomes tremendous. It can cure diseases.
As I understand, Guru Sahib who knew all is pointing to us the tremendous capability that the brain has and it can be brought to bear on one’s condition if and when the brain is spiritually evolved and thus pure.
10. nwnk swD Byty sMjog ]7] naanak saaDh bhaytay sanjog. ||7||
O Nanak, one gets the company of spiritually evolved pure people by the highest order of destiny.||7||
My understanding:
Guru Sahib tell himself and to us that one gets the company of spiritually evolved pure people only by the Hukam of ‘The Sat’, which is common parlance is called destiny.
With this I close the post.
With love and respect for all.
Amarpal Singh
With the grace of ‘The Sat’, today I share my understanding of 7th Pauri of 7th Ashtapadee of Sukhmani Sahib with you.
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:
As done in the previous Pauri of this Ashtapadee, Guru Sahib is conveying to his disciples the effect that the company of pure and spiritually evolved people will have on their being. This is the positive factor of such association.
This can also be used as the criteria to determine the persons who will qualify for Saadh-Sangat. If in the company of a person, whom one presume to be a pure and evolved, these positive changes in do not start manifesting in your being, than there are good chances that the person is not a pure and spiritually evolved person. This way Guru Sahib is protecting us from possible deception.
1. swD kY sMig sunau hir nwau ] saaDh kai sang sun-o har naa-o.
In the company of spiritually evolved pure people, the person listens to ‘Naam’
My understanding:
If we tell a child that in the company of spiritually evolved pure people on listens to ‘Naam’. The evolving mind of child can ask, why to do so, record ‘Satnaam Waheguru’ on a CD any number of times and keep listening, what is so special in the company of spiritually evolved pure people. This doubt is fully justified and has come from an active thinker. It must be answered full and effectively in a manner that will accepted by any rational mind.
The paradigm of the idea of Naam i.e. the concept of Naam needs to be explained. Naam is not just a word which denote or directs your thinking towards ‘The Sat’. Naam is the sum total of teachings of Siri Guru Granth Sahib. When the person after understanding, resonates and reverberates with the teachings of Siri Guru Granth Sahib, then one can say that this person has received the gift of ‘Naam’. When the person resonates with these teachings the person is said to be listening to ‘Naam’.
In the company of spiritually evolved pure people, the new entrant sees the inner experience or listening to ‘Naam’ being applied and enacted in real life day in, day out, all the time by the evolved ones. The new entrant starts imitating what he experience in the company of the spiritually evolved pure people. The brain of the new entrant progressively gets re-formatted and the process of assimilation of teachings of Siri Guru Granth Sahib starts. This new entrant now becomes capable to see through Maya and dualities it creates. With the dirt and filth thus removed, which was covering the inner self, the being of the person gets fully illuminate by ‘The Sat’. Such a person is now resonating with ‘Naam’ – the person is listening to ‘Naam’; she or he is living in ‘Naam’.
This is my understanding of the Tuk above.
2. swDsMig hir ky gun gwau ] saaDhsang har kay gun gaa-o.
In the company of spiritually evolved pure people, one sings the attributes (Gunas) of ‘The Sat’.
My understanding:
Here singing is not to be taken literally; it is a metaphor. Resonance though is a state of vibration, it is an action; so is singing. When your life acts out the teachings of Siri Guru Granth Sahib, in musical terms, you are singing the attributes (Gunas) of ‘The Sat’. In other words Guru Sahib is telling us that the person in the company of spiritually evolved pure people lives a Godly life.
3. swD kY sMig n mn qy ibsrY ] saaDh kai sang na man tay bisrai.
In the company of spiritually evolved pure people the person never drifts away of get separated from ‘The Sat’.
My understanding:
Here one needs to understand the meaning of the word ‘Bisrai’ which means to get separated. A child can always say that if I have to keep remembering ‘The Sat’ all the time then when do I play? When do I do my studies? Similarly a working person can say that my brain can concentrate only one thing, e.g. on the safety critical, high integrity software I am working on or on ‘The Sat’; I cannot concentrate on both. All these positions are correct and yet must be rationally reconciled with what Guru Sahib has said.
This different in perception comes from the individuals taking a literal view of what Guru Sahib has said. Not moving away from ‘The Sat’ by doing Jaap or Simran or Meditation are the traditional ways of being with ‘The Sat’; these ways cannot be followed when the person is intensely involved in some work that require concentration of mental faculties for a long time. This tells us that there is something more to this in what Guru Sahib has said.
As I understand when the person has incorporated all the teachings of Siri Guru Granth Sahib in its being and the brain is fully formatted in accordance with these teachings, then all what the person does will have basis only in these teachings, which is Naam. This is so because the initiation of a thought, processing of the thought, the speech of the person, the physical actions of the person, all of them come from the functioning brain which is formatted by the teachings of Siri Guru Granth Sahib. Thus all what the person does is in accordance with ‘Naam’ i.e. ‘The Sat’. This way no matter what the person is engaged in, she or he will be truthfully involved in the task; this is the state of living where one never gets separated from ‘The Sat’.
Guru Sahib says in the company of spiritually evolved pure people, this state of being comes naturally to the person.
4. swDsMig srpr insqrY ] saaDhsang sarpar nistarai.
In the company of spiritually evolved pure people all are carried to their destination.
My understanding:
When the person lives in the company of spiritually evolved pure people, it also evolves to their level. This person losses all its ‘I-ness’; the person becomes the instrument of ‘The Sat’. In other words, except for the body, the person becomes one with ‘The Sat’. The actions of such a person result from the illumination she or he gets from ‘The Sat’. This is the state of being which is designated in Buddhism as NIRVANA. When the person leaves its present body it merges with ‘The Sat’. As I have said above, the person has already become a perfect instrument of ‘The Sat’; its being was already one with ‘The Sat’; only its body distinguished her or him to be separate from “The Sat’. When the body is shed, only The Sat’ remains, the person was already one with ‘The Sat’. This is what Guru Sahib is conveying to us in the above Tuk, as I understand.
5. swD kY sMig lgY pRBu mITw ] saaDh kai sang lagai parabh meethaa.
In the company of spiritually evolved pure people, one experiences the sweetness of ‘The Sat’.
My understanding:
To a worldly person, ‘The Sat’ remains a conceptual, abstract, remote entity. To them ‘The Sat’ becomes part of their routine prayers and nothing more. In their lives they are guided by worldly desires and their Ahamkara i.e. Ego.
For those who have the blessing of the company of spiritually evolved pure people and thus have themselves risen on spiritual scale, feel the presence of ‘The Sat’ within them. The feeling is very sweet because it gives the blissful joy. This is intensified further because, having risen above the worldly desires and having dissolved their own Ahamkara (ego), they experience this sweetness in full without any other attribute of theirs putting demand on their functioning brain and thus disturbing their concentration. They go into Samadhi and their inner self becomes one with ‘The Sat’; they experience ‘The Sat’ in full measure. The pleasant feeling that they get cannot be described in words, Guru Sahib has used the word ‘sweet’ which his audience understood.
6. swDU kY sMig Git Git fITw ] saaDhoo kai sang ghat ghat deethaa.
In the company of spiritually evolved pure people, one learns to see ‘The Sat’ in each entity all the time.
My understanding:
Living with and learning from spiritually evolved pure people, the person understands that the Akaar (forms or body) is only taken by the real (The Sat) to enact a role in this world. The body is equivalent to the dress one wears to perform a role in Drama. Knowing this truth, the person learns to see ‘Karta Purakh’ i.e. ‘The Sat’ in all that are living and non-living entities in creation. The entire creation of ‘The Sat’ becomes worthy of reverence and is taken care of. The person understands the linkages e.g. between clean air, water and soil, which are non-living aspects of ‘The Sat’ but are essential to support life. The continuity between all these apparently discreet entities is realized by the person and everywhere the person sees ‘The Sat’ in action all the time.
7. swDsMig Bey AwigAwkwrI ] saaDhsang bha-ay aagi-aakaaree.
In the company of spiritually evolved pure people, one becomes obedient.
My understanding:
In the company of the spiritually evolved pure people, the wisdom dawns on the person and it realizes that she or he is only and instrument of ‘The Sat’ and that the ‘Karta Purakh’ is the real doer. It also becomes apparent to him that out of the efforts she or he makes only those which ‘The Sat’ ordains only will fructify. With this the unease of failure leaves the person, she or he accept the ‘Hukam’ (order) of ‘The Sat’. This state of willing acceptance, as per my understanding, is what Guru Sahib has referred to as obedience in the above Tuk.
8. swDsMig giq BeI hmwrI ] saaDhsang gat bha-ee hamaaree.
In the company of spiritually evolved pure people, the person becomes like them.
My understanding:
Guru Sahib is pointing out the impact of the company on us. We become what the company is. Living with spiritually evolved pure people, the person too gets evolved and become similar in attribute to that of the people with whom it (she or he) lives.
9. swD kY sMig imty siB rog ] saaDh kai sang mitay sabh rog.
In the company of spiritually evolved people, all the diseases get curd.
My understanding:
Here I will have to share with you what I have seen happening.
(i) An engineer was diagnosed to have a tumor in his brain. This diagnosis was confirmed by second scan. The person was given medication and medical advised. This person listened to all and later threw away the medicine and went through his life in a normal way never even talking about his illness. Periodically this person was reminded by the doctor that he has to undergo a scan again to know the effect of the medicine. He continued to ignore it. More than a year passes; doctor took the help of this person’s friends and well wishers who persuaded him to have his brain scanned. The results showed no tumor. It has disappeared.
(ii) A family has a daughter and a son. The daughter started loosing control on her limbs and speech became unclear. It was diagnosed that metals are getting deposited in her brain. (I do not remember the name of the disease, but I was told it is very rare disease and cure too is very rare). After a year of so the daughter passé away. Few months after the son to showed similar appearance. The parents new that they are going to loose him too. They were very sad. They allowed the boy to do what ever he wanted. The teachers in school were told of his condition and inform by the parents that they just want to see this boy happy for the short time he may live. This boy was a decent child, but when ever he went of he was not punished or scolded. He enjoyed skating, even with the paining limbs he continued with skating. The mother started taking care of children in an orphanage, she told me, after some time I will have to see my son and daughter only in them. I personally know this family and their Satvika nature and living, they are from the hilly region of Himalayas.
To every body’s surprise, the condition of the boy started improving and finally he fully recovered. Now he is an engineer and is married with family.
All this I am narrating to you, to share with you what life has taught me and to convey that human brain has enormous power; it can heal any disease that can afflict human body. Science still has to discover the mechanics of this ability of the brain.
It is my considered opinion that the brain knows what is wrong with the body and it also knows how to cure it – nature has programmed it for this task. We all know the commands from this brain that helps sustain the conception develop of fetus and finally give birth to a baby – This is the power of our brain
In the company of spiritually evolve pure people the purity returns to the brain. Its effectiveness becomes tremendous. It can cure diseases.
As I understand, Guru Sahib who knew all is pointing to us the tremendous capability that the brain has and it can be brought to bear on one’s condition if and when the brain is spiritually evolved and thus pure.
10. nwnk swD Byty sMjog ]7] naanak saaDh bhaytay sanjog. ||7||
O Nanak, one gets the company of spiritually evolved pure people by the highest order of destiny.||7||
My understanding:
Guru Sahib tell himself and to us that one gets the company of spiritually evolved pure people only by the Hukam of ‘The Sat’, which is common parlance is called destiny.
With this I close the post.
With love and respect for all.
Amarpal Singh
