Dear Khalsa Ji,
With the grace of ‘The Sat’, today I share my understanding of 1st Pauri of 8th 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:
Guru Sahib in this Pauri explains to us the nature of the person who is Braham-Gyani.
Few words of Caution:
It is important to understand what Braham-Gyani means. This term Guru Sahib has taken from the common parlance among the spiritually evolved pure people.
Brahma as per Hindu mythology is the creator. Bhagavatam, the compilation of Ved Vyas, elaborates on Brahma. According to this elaboration, Brahama was born and will get dissolve after some time. His life time too is given in Bhagavatam. This, according to Sikhi makes Brahma part of the creation as he takes birth, lives a life and then dies. This is not the creator according to Gurbani. The ‘Karta Purakh’ does not take birth; it is beyond the clutches of time. This ‘Karta Purakh’ is the creator according to Gurbani, which I refer to as ‘The Sat’.
Thus when Guru Sahib use the term ‘Braham-Gyani’ it means the person who has Gyan (intrinsic knowledge obtained through personal experience) regarding ‘The Sat’ and is not referring to the person who has the knowledge of the Hindu mythological figure ‘Brahma’ obtained through reading scripture, who is any way part of the creation and is not ‘The Absolute’. Brahma of Hindu Mythology is not part of Sikhi
1. bRhm igAwnI sdw inrlyp ] barahm gi-aanee sadaa nirlayp.
The person who has experienced ‘The Sat’ and thus knows ‘The Sat’ has no covering on its being.
2. jYsy jl mih kml Alyp ] jaisay jal meh kamal alayp.
Like the Lotus in the water pond remains uncoated.
My understanding:
The person, who has experienced ‘The Sat’, knows what ‘The Sat’ is, yet she or he cannot explain its experience in words; there are no words to explain and also the fact that there is no way to transplant it from one functioning brain to the other. Each person has to learn through one’s own experience.
The body of the Braham-Gyani becomes a perfect instrument of ‘The Sat’ while its inner self; its being becomes one with ‘The Sat’. In this way the person’s core, the being, the nature, becomes ‘The Sat’ only. Having dissolved all its ‘I-ness’, this person is not aspiring to become any thing; such person has already achieved the highest. There is no pretence in it; there is no artificialness in its nature or being. This person has no coating on itself. Such person is what ‘The Sat’ is.
Guru Sahib has taken the example of the Lotus, which rises from the pond of water very often muddy, yet when the bud opens into a flower, it remains above water and remains uncoated by any mud or water of the pond. This is the symbol of purity while living in this world.
This is what Guru Sahib has conveyed to us in this Tuk.
3. bRhm igAwnI sdw inrdoK ] barahm gi-aanee sadaa nirdokh.
The person who knows ‘The Sat’ through personal experience, never get influences by worldly entities.
4. jYsy sUru srb kau soK ] jaisay soor sarab ka-o sokh.
Like the sun, this gives its comfort and warmth to all.
My understanding:
The Braham-Gyani reaches a level of being which we call Puneet. This is a state of purity if her or his being which can never become impure and any condition. Such person becomes stainless; nothing can induce her or him towards worldly pleasure and vices, because its ‘I-ness’ has got totally dissolved. This person lives a truthful life; like ‘The Sat’ Braham-Gyani works for the entire creation.
Note of Caution: Some time people feel that ‘The Sat’ is favoring some one else more than them. This is not true; ‘The Sat’ gives every one the same, we some time do not receive what is given and some times our past karma comes and prevent us from receiving.
I elaborate on it. When it rains all the area gets this blessing from sky. Those who have kept their empty pots with the opening towards the sky will receive the rain water. Those pots which are kept upside down i.e. with the opening towards the ground will not receive the rain water.
Like wise, we receive in full when we have interfaced well with ‘The Sat’. The more we become spiritual, the more we become godly, the more we become instrument of ‘The Sat’, the less we become selfish, the more good Karmas of our past mature and impact on us we collect more and more. Such disposition of our being is similar to the pot kept with opening facing the sky, which collects water when it rains.
Similarly, when we turn worldly, keep chasing objects of gratification of senses, keep acting in wrong, immoral, unethical selfish ways creating bad Karmas we turn ourselves away from the provider i.e. ‘The Sat’. Our disposition becomes similar to that of the pot which is kept up side down, with the opening facing the earth when it is raining and thus fails to collect the rain water.
The problem is created by our natural disposition when we are not able to receive the blessings from ‘The Sat’. “The Sat’ as such keeps giving its entire creation in equal measures all the time.
Guru Sahib has very clear stated in the ‘Mool Mantra’ i.e. ‘The Sat’ is ‘Nirbhau’ i.e. without fear. It implies that ‘The Sat’ does not act based on any fear as we humans do; we try to please those more whom we fear; ‘The Sat’ is above all this and provides equally to all. Guru Sahib has further said that ‘The Sat’ is ‘Nirvair’ i.e. that means the acts of ‘The Sat’ are not guided by enmity; this is not a consideration in the action of ‘The Sat’. ‘The Sat is above all this.
Braham-Gyani is ‘The Sat’ acting through her or his body, which is the instrument of ‘The Sat’
5. bRhm igAwnI kY idRsit smwin ] barahm gi-aanee kai darisat samaan.
The person, who knows ‘The Sat’, having experienced it, sees all the same way.
6. jYsy rwj rMk kau lwgY quil pvwn ] jaisay raaj rank ka-o laagai tul pavaan.
Like the wind, this blows equally upon the king and the poor beggar.
My understanding:
In this Tuk Guru Sahib has told us that for the Braham-Gyani all the entities are equal. It is natural. The Braham-Gyani sees ‘The Sat’ is all. The Braham-Gyani does not see the Akaar i.e. the form or the body, but ‘The Sat’ within. You know, I know, every Sikh knows that ‘The Sat’ is ‘One’ and ‘One’ only. So it is natural for the Braham-Gyani to see and treat every entity of the creation alike, because it is ‘One’.
This is what guru Sahib has conveyed through this Tuk.
7. bRhm igAwnI kY DIrju eyk ] barahm gi-aanee kai Dheeraj ayk.
The person who has the intrinsic knowledge of ‘The sat’ through personal experience never gets perturbed; its patience is steady like ‘The Sat’.
8. ijau bsuDw koaU KodY koaU cMdn lyp ] ji-o basuDhaa ko-oo khodai ko-oo chandan layp.
It is like the earth, which is dug up by one and anointed with sandal paste by another.
My understanding:
Braham-Gyani never looses it’s (her or His) patience. It remains steady like that of ‘The Sat’ no matter what type of response this person gets from those with whom it is interacting. Guru Sahib has compared this patience with that of the earth which is dug up by some and is worshiped by others, the earth does not take into account the nature of response but keep supporting all.
9. bRhm igAwnI kw iehY gunwau ] barahm gi-aanee kaa ihai gunaa-o.
These are the attributes of the person who knows about ‘The Sat’ through personal experience.
10. nwnk ijau pwvk kw shj suBwau ]1] naanak ji-o paavak kaa sahj subhaa-o. ||1||
O Nanak this is the natural disposition of the being of the person who has received this Braham-Gyan from ‘The Sat’||1||
My understanding:
Guru Sahib tells us that these are the attributes of the person who has been blessed with ‘Braham-Gyan’ by ‘The Sat’ directly.
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 1st Pauri of 8th 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:
Guru Sahib in this Pauri explains to us the nature of the person who is Braham-Gyani.
Few words of Caution:
It is important to understand what Braham-Gyani means. This term Guru Sahib has taken from the common parlance among the spiritually evolved pure people.
Brahma as per Hindu mythology is the creator. Bhagavatam, the compilation of Ved Vyas, elaborates on Brahma. According to this elaboration, Brahama was born and will get dissolve after some time. His life time too is given in Bhagavatam. This, according to Sikhi makes Brahma part of the creation as he takes birth, lives a life and then dies. This is not the creator according to Gurbani. The ‘Karta Purakh’ does not take birth; it is beyond the clutches of time. This ‘Karta Purakh’ is the creator according to Gurbani, which I refer to as ‘The Sat’.
Thus when Guru Sahib use the term ‘Braham-Gyani’ it means the person who has Gyan (intrinsic knowledge obtained through personal experience) regarding ‘The Sat’ and is not referring to the person who has the knowledge of the Hindu mythological figure ‘Brahma’ obtained through reading scripture, who is any way part of the creation and is not ‘The Absolute’. Brahma of Hindu Mythology is not part of Sikhi
1. bRhm igAwnI sdw inrlyp ] barahm gi-aanee sadaa nirlayp.
The person who has experienced ‘The Sat’ and thus knows ‘The Sat’ has no covering on its being.
2. jYsy jl mih kml Alyp ] jaisay jal meh kamal alayp.
Like the Lotus in the water pond remains uncoated.
My understanding:
The person, who has experienced ‘The Sat’, knows what ‘The Sat’ is, yet she or he cannot explain its experience in words; there are no words to explain and also the fact that there is no way to transplant it from one functioning brain to the other. Each person has to learn through one’s own experience.
The body of the Braham-Gyani becomes a perfect instrument of ‘The Sat’ while its inner self; its being becomes one with ‘The Sat’. In this way the person’s core, the being, the nature, becomes ‘The Sat’ only. Having dissolved all its ‘I-ness’, this person is not aspiring to become any thing; such person has already achieved the highest. There is no pretence in it; there is no artificialness in its nature or being. This person has no coating on itself. Such person is what ‘The Sat’ is.
Guru Sahib has taken the example of the Lotus, which rises from the pond of water very often muddy, yet when the bud opens into a flower, it remains above water and remains uncoated by any mud or water of the pond. This is the symbol of purity while living in this world.
This is what Guru Sahib has conveyed to us in this Tuk.
3. bRhm igAwnI sdw inrdoK ] barahm gi-aanee sadaa nirdokh.
The person who knows ‘The Sat’ through personal experience, never get influences by worldly entities.
4. jYsy sUru srb kau soK ] jaisay soor sarab ka-o sokh.
Like the sun, this gives its comfort and warmth to all.
My understanding:
The Braham-Gyani reaches a level of being which we call Puneet. This is a state of purity if her or his being which can never become impure and any condition. Such person becomes stainless; nothing can induce her or him towards worldly pleasure and vices, because its ‘I-ness’ has got totally dissolved. This person lives a truthful life; like ‘The Sat’ Braham-Gyani works for the entire creation.
Note of Caution: Some time people feel that ‘The Sat’ is favoring some one else more than them. This is not true; ‘The Sat’ gives every one the same, we some time do not receive what is given and some times our past karma comes and prevent us from receiving.
I elaborate on it. When it rains all the area gets this blessing from sky. Those who have kept their empty pots with the opening towards the sky will receive the rain water. Those pots which are kept upside down i.e. with the opening towards the ground will not receive the rain water.
Like wise, we receive in full when we have interfaced well with ‘The Sat’. The more we become spiritual, the more we become godly, the more we become instrument of ‘The Sat’, the less we become selfish, the more good Karmas of our past mature and impact on us we collect more and more. Such disposition of our being is similar to the pot kept with opening facing the sky, which collects water when it rains.
Similarly, when we turn worldly, keep chasing objects of gratification of senses, keep acting in wrong, immoral, unethical selfish ways creating bad Karmas we turn ourselves away from the provider i.e. ‘The Sat’. Our disposition becomes similar to that of the pot which is kept up side down, with the opening facing the earth when it is raining and thus fails to collect the rain water.
The problem is created by our natural disposition when we are not able to receive the blessings from ‘The Sat’. “The Sat’ as such keeps giving its entire creation in equal measures all the time.
Guru Sahib has very clear stated in the ‘Mool Mantra’ i.e. ‘The Sat’ is ‘Nirbhau’ i.e. without fear. It implies that ‘The Sat’ does not act based on any fear as we humans do; we try to please those more whom we fear; ‘The Sat’ is above all this and provides equally to all. Guru Sahib has further said that ‘The Sat’ is ‘Nirvair’ i.e. that means the acts of ‘The Sat’ are not guided by enmity; this is not a consideration in the action of ‘The Sat’. ‘The Sat is above all this.
Braham-Gyani is ‘The Sat’ acting through her or his body, which is the instrument of ‘The Sat’
5. bRhm igAwnI kY idRsit smwin ] barahm gi-aanee kai darisat samaan.
The person, who knows ‘The Sat’, having experienced it, sees all the same way.
6. jYsy rwj rMk kau lwgY quil pvwn ] jaisay raaj rank ka-o laagai tul pavaan.
Like the wind, this blows equally upon the king and the poor beggar.
My understanding:
In this Tuk Guru Sahib has told us that for the Braham-Gyani all the entities are equal. It is natural. The Braham-Gyani sees ‘The Sat’ is all. The Braham-Gyani does not see the Akaar i.e. the form or the body, but ‘The Sat’ within. You know, I know, every Sikh knows that ‘The Sat’ is ‘One’ and ‘One’ only. So it is natural for the Braham-Gyani to see and treat every entity of the creation alike, because it is ‘One’.
This is what guru Sahib has conveyed through this Tuk.
7. bRhm igAwnI kY DIrju eyk ] barahm gi-aanee kai Dheeraj ayk.
The person who has the intrinsic knowledge of ‘The sat’ through personal experience never gets perturbed; its patience is steady like ‘The Sat’.
8. ijau bsuDw koaU KodY koaU cMdn lyp ] ji-o basuDhaa ko-oo khodai ko-oo chandan layp.
It is like the earth, which is dug up by one and anointed with sandal paste by another.
My understanding:
Braham-Gyani never looses it’s (her or His) patience. It remains steady like that of ‘The Sat’ no matter what type of response this person gets from those with whom it is interacting. Guru Sahib has compared this patience with that of the earth which is dug up by some and is worshiped by others, the earth does not take into account the nature of response but keep supporting all.
9. bRhm igAwnI kw iehY gunwau ] barahm gi-aanee kaa ihai gunaa-o.
These are the attributes of the person who knows about ‘The Sat’ through personal experience.
10. nwnk ijau pwvk kw shj suBwau ]1] naanak ji-o paavak kaa sahj subhaa-o. ||1||
O Nanak this is the natural disposition of the being of the person who has received this Braham-Gyan from ‘The Sat’||1||
My understanding:
Guru Sahib tells us that these are the attributes of the person who has been blessed with ‘Braham-Gyan’ by ‘The Sat’ directly.
With this I close the post.
With love and respect for all.
Amarpal Singh
