Dear Khalsa Ji
With the grace of ‘The Sat’, today I share my understanding of 2nd 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; ‘The Sat’ according to Gurbani never takes birth ‘Ajuni’; it is beyond the clutches of time i.e. ‘Akaal Murat’. Since Brahma takes birth and dies it cannot be taken to be the creator according to Gurbani. The ‘Karta Purakh’ does not take birth. This ‘Karta Purakh’ is the creator according to Gurbani, which I refer to as ‘The Sat’. According to Gurbani between ‘Karta Purakh’ i.e. ‘The Sat’ and his creation, including us, there is no one. Thus we, Sikhs, have nothing to do with Brahama, an entity of Hindu Mythology.
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 inrml qy inrmlw ] barahm gi-aanee nirmal tay nirmalaa.
The person who knows ‘The Sat’ through personal experience is the flawlessly simplest of the flawless simple.
2. jYsy mYlu n lwgY jlw ] jaisay mail na laagai jalaa.
As the dirt does not attach to water.
My understanding:
Guru Sahib point out to us that the person who has experienced ‘The Sat’ and thus become Braham-Gyani, has nothing in its being to make it complicated. Its being is strait forward and simple. The information processing in its brain is deep and effective. Nothing among the worldly dirt can attach itself to this person’s being. The person has no ‘I-ness’ in its being and thus has no desire for sense gratification. This person is Puneet.
3. bRhm igAwnI kY min hoie pRgwsu ] barahm gi-aanee kai man ho-ay pargaas.
The person who knows ‘The Sat’ through personal experience, it’s (her of his) being is perpetually illuminate by ‘The Sat’.
4. jYsy Dr aUpir Awkwsu ] jaisay Dhar oopar aakaas.
This illumination by ‘The Sat’ is like the sun illuminating the earth.
My understanding:
Guru Sahib is making it explicit that the being of the person who has experienced ‘The Sat’ becomes ‘The Sat’ like. Such person being the instrument of ‘The Sat’ acts like ‘The Sat’ for entire creation as the sun illuminates the entire earth without fear or enmity.
5. bRhm igAwnI kY imqR sqRü smwin ] barahm gi-aanee kai mitar satar samaan.
The person who has experienced ‘The Sat’ itself , for such person friends and foes all are the same.
6. bRhm igAwnI kY nwhI AiBmwn ] barahm gi-aanee kai naahee abhimaan.
The person, who has realized ‘The sat’ itself, has no pride.
My understanding:
Guru Sahib tells us that the person, who has realized ‘The Sat’ and consequently knows ‘The Sat’ from personal experience, becomes a replica of ‘The Sat’. For it (her or him) all entities of creation are alike as it sees only ‘The Sat’ in them and in itself. Such person has no pride in itself as it knows that all that is, is because of ‘The Sat’.
7. bRhm igAwnI aUc qy aUcw ] barahm gi-aanee ooch tay oochaa.
The person who has realized ‘The Sat’ and thus has knowledge of ‘The Sat’ from personal experience is highest among the high.
8. min ApnY hY sB qy nIcw ] man apnai hai sabh tay neechaa.
Such person’s being is naturally humble.
My understanding:
Guru Sahib tells his Sikhs that the person who has realized ‘The sat’ and thus has the knowledge of ‘The Sat’ through personal experience is highest among the high. Yet the person is not recognize this, as instrument of ‘The Sat’ it considers itself only as a humble servant of ‘The Sat’. This becomes such persons natural disposition because of its inner realization that this body is given by ‘The Sat’ for it to act as instrument of ‘The Sat’ and the functioning brain which generates its mind and thus its attributes and commands for actions are all illuminated by ‘The Sat’ – the prime mover is ‘The Sat’. The person as it appears to others is a non-entity; such person’s totality belongs to ‘The Sat’. There is nothing in this person which can be called ‘I’ in it. Such person is highest is spiritual domain and lowest as the worldly yard stick will measure it. As the Braham-Gyani works in this world, it remains naturally humble. This sense of humility is not a pretence or learned mannerism or acquired disposition; it is natural – Guru Sahib has already said the Braham-Gyani is Nirlaip, without any artificial coating.
9. bRhm igAwnI sy jn Bey ] barahm gi-aanee say jan bha-ay.
Only those become Braham-Gyani.
10 nwnk ijn pRBu Awip kryie ]2] naanak jin parabh aap karay-i. ||2||
O Nanak, whom God Himself makes so. ||2||
My understanding:
The person becomes Braham-Gyani because of the illumination its being receives from ‘The Sat’. As I understand, they get chosen for this elevation because they make effort to shed the dirt and filth that accumulates on their being because of the impure living over the past lives and this life. Once the person is really committed to this cause ‘The Sat’ takes over and guides such person’s further evolution.
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 2nd 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; ‘The Sat’ according to Gurbani never takes birth ‘Ajuni’; it is beyond the clutches of time i.e. ‘Akaal Murat’. Since Brahma takes birth and dies it cannot be taken to be the creator according to Gurbani. The ‘Karta Purakh’ does not take birth. This ‘Karta Purakh’ is the creator according to Gurbani, which I refer to as ‘The Sat’. According to Gurbani between ‘Karta Purakh’ i.e. ‘The Sat’ and his creation, including us, there is no one. Thus we, Sikhs, have nothing to do with Brahama, an entity of Hindu Mythology.
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 inrml qy inrmlw ] barahm gi-aanee nirmal tay nirmalaa.
The person who knows ‘The Sat’ through personal experience is the flawlessly simplest of the flawless simple.
2. jYsy mYlu n lwgY jlw ] jaisay mail na laagai jalaa.
As the dirt does not attach to water.
My understanding:
Guru Sahib point out to us that the person who has experienced ‘The Sat’ and thus become Braham-Gyani, has nothing in its being to make it complicated. Its being is strait forward and simple. The information processing in its brain is deep and effective. Nothing among the worldly dirt can attach itself to this person’s being. The person has no ‘I-ness’ in its being and thus has no desire for sense gratification. This person is Puneet.
3. bRhm igAwnI kY min hoie pRgwsu ] barahm gi-aanee kai man ho-ay pargaas.
The person who knows ‘The Sat’ through personal experience, it’s (her of his) being is perpetually illuminate by ‘The Sat’.
4. jYsy Dr aUpir Awkwsu ] jaisay Dhar oopar aakaas.
This illumination by ‘The Sat’ is like the sun illuminating the earth.
My understanding:
Guru Sahib is making it explicit that the being of the person who has experienced ‘The Sat’ becomes ‘The Sat’ like. Such person being the instrument of ‘The Sat’ acts like ‘The Sat’ for entire creation as the sun illuminates the entire earth without fear or enmity.
5. bRhm igAwnI kY imqR sqRü smwin ] barahm gi-aanee kai mitar satar samaan.
The person who has experienced ‘The Sat’ itself , for such person friends and foes all are the same.
6. bRhm igAwnI kY nwhI AiBmwn ] barahm gi-aanee kai naahee abhimaan.
The person, who has realized ‘The sat’ itself, has no pride.
My understanding:
Guru Sahib tells us that the person, who has realized ‘The Sat’ and consequently knows ‘The Sat’ from personal experience, becomes a replica of ‘The Sat’. For it (her or him) all entities of creation are alike as it sees only ‘The Sat’ in them and in itself. Such person has no pride in itself as it knows that all that is, is because of ‘The Sat’.
7. bRhm igAwnI aUc qy aUcw ] barahm gi-aanee ooch tay oochaa.
The person who has realized ‘The Sat’ and thus has knowledge of ‘The Sat’ from personal experience is highest among the high.
8. min ApnY hY sB qy nIcw ] man apnai hai sabh tay neechaa.
Such person’s being is naturally humble.
My understanding:
Guru Sahib tells his Sikhs that the person who has realized ‘The sat’ and thus has the knowledge of ‘The Sat’ through personal experience is highest among the high. Yet the person is not recognize this, as instrument of ‘The Sat’ it considers itself only as a humble servant of ‘The Sat’. This becomes such persons natural disposition because of its inner realization that this body is given by ‘The Sat’ for it to act as instrument of ‘The Sat’ and the functioning brain which generates its mind and thus its attributes and commands for actions are all illuminated by ‘The Sat’ – the prime mover is ‘The Sat’. The person as it appears to others is a non-entity; such person’s totality belongs to ‘The Sat’. There is nothing in this person which can be called ‘I’ in it. Such person is highest is spiritual domain and lowest as the worldly yard stick will measure it. As the Braham-Gyani works in this world, it remains naturally humble. This sense of humility is not a pretence or learned mannerism or acquired disposition; it is natural – Guru Sahib has already said the Braham-Gyani is Nirlaip, without any artificial coating.
9. bRhm igAwnI sy jn Bey ] barahm gi-aanee say jan bha-ay.
Only those become Braham-Gyani.
10 nwnk ijn pRBu Awip kryie ]2] naanak jin parabh aap karay-i. ||2||
O Nanak, whom God Himself makes so. ||2||
My understanding:
The person becomes Braham-Gyani because of the illumination its being receives from ‘The Sat’. As I understand, they get chosen for this elevation because they make effort to shed the dirt and filth that accumulates on their being because of the impure living over the past lives and this life. Once the person is really committed to this cause ‘The Sat’ takes over and guides such person’s further evolution.
With this I close the post.
With love and respect for all.
Amarpal Singh
