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namjap · #2 (**permalink**) 14-03-2008, 11:03 AM

Extracted from

the above-mentioned website:-

KALAR KAEREE CHHAPREE

klr kyrI CpVI kaUAw mil mil nwie ]
mnu qnu mYlw AvguxI icMju BrI gMDI Awie ]
srvru hMis n jwixAw kwg kupMKI sMig ]
swkq isau AYsI pRIiq hY bUJhu igAwnI rMig ]
sMq sBw jYkwru kir gurmuiK krm kmwau ]
inrmlu n@wvxu nwnkw guru qIrQu drIAwau ]10]
Aggs, m 1, p-1411. [1] (AGGS, M 1, p 1411. [1])

1. Manmohan Singh [11]:
The crow rubs and washes itself in the small pool of saline land.
Its mind and body are dirty with demarits and its beak too is filled with filth.
The swan of the lake, not knowing the crow is an evil bird, associated with it.
Such is the love with the mammon-worshbiper.
Understand thou this, O divine, through the Lord’s love.
Shout thou the victory of the saints’ guild and do the deeds of a pious person.
Immaculate is the abulation, O Nanak at the sacred shrine of the Guru-river. 10.

2. Dr Sant Singh Khalsa [8]:
The crow rubs and washes itself in the mud puddle.
Its mind and body are polluted with its own mistakes and demerits, and its beak is filled with dirt.
The swan in the pool associated with the crow, not knowing that it was evil.
Such is the love of the faithless cynic; understand this, O spiritually wise ones, through love and devotion.
So proclaim the victory of the Society of the Saints, and act as Gurmukh.
Immaculate and pure is that cleansing bath, O Nanak, at the sacred shrine of the Guru’s river. 10.

3. Dr Sahib Singh [13]
ArQ:— hy BweI! (ivkwrW dI kwlK nwl) kwly hoey mn vwlw mnu`K (ivkwrW dy) k``lr dI C`pVI ivc bVy SOk nwl ieSnwn krdw rihMdw hY (ies krky aus dw) mn (aus dw) qn ivkwrW (dI mYl) nwl mYlw hoieAw rihMdw hY (ijvyN kW dI) cuMJ gMd nwl hI BrI rihMdI hY (iqvyN ivkwrI mnu`K dw mUMh BI inMdw Awidk gMd nwl hI BirAw rihMdw hY) [ hy BweI! BYVy pMCI kwvW dI sMgiq ivc (ivkwrI bMidAW dI suhbq ivc prmwqmw dI AMS jIv-) hMs ny (gurU-) srovr (dI kdr) nwh smJI [ hy BweI! prmwqmw nwloN tu`ty hoey mnu`KW nwl joVI hoeI pRIq ieho ijhI hI huMdI hY [ hy Awqmk jIvn dI sUJ hwsl krn dy cwhvwn mnu`K! prmwqmw dy pRym ivc itk ky (jIvn-rwh ƒ) smJ [ swD sMgiq ivc itk ky prmwqmw dI is&iq-swlwh kirAw kr, gurU dy snmuK r`Kx vwly krm kmwieAw kr—iehI hY piv`qr ieSnwn [ hy nwnk! gurU hI qIrQ hY gurU hI drIAwau hY (gurU ivc cu`BI lweI r`KxI hI piv`qr ieSnwn hY) [10[
i) Comments
All the above scholars have translated/interpreted “klr kyrI CpVI” as “pool of saline land”; mud puddle” and “(ivkwrW dy) k``lr dI C`pVI”. In all casesit means a “pool of dirty water”. In fact it is not dirty water.

Only Dr Sahib Singh has done good job at least to explain the ‘crow’ as the metaphor for sinful person but stuck to the traditional interpretation of “klr kyrI CpVI” to “pool of dirty water” like others. However, none of the above authors had mentioned the cleansing quality of the alkaline water and also failed to explain that even the chemical cleansing quality of this water cannot cleanse the sinful mind.

B. Scientific and Logical Interpretation
Scientifically it is a pool of alkaline water containing sodium hydroxide, which when combines with fatty or oily excretions of body becomes soap resulting in cleaning of the dirty body. I have noticed myself during 1950s in Amritsar, Punjab, India that some people used to collect the white fluffy stuff produced on the surface of the alkaline soils for washing their dirty clothes. During rainy season the rain water washes fluffy alkaline powder from the surface of the soil, which gets collected in the low areas to form a small pool of alkaline water. It was a common scene during rainy season that crows wash their dirty feathers in that pool of alkaline water since this water has a cleansing* power. However, now no one can witness this phenomenon since all the alkaline soils have been reclaimed in the Punjab.
(Note: *Cleanse: suggests more specifically the use of chemicals, purgatives, etc., and is often used metaphorically to imply purification [to cleanse one‘s mind of evil thoughts]).

Keeping in view Nanakian Methodology [6] used by Guru Nanak in expressing his philosophy, scientific information on alkaline soil, and the use of allegoric, metaphoric, and symbolic expression, the interpretation of the following stanzas would be different than the traditional and literal English translation of above authors:

klr kyrI CpVI kaUAw1 mil mil nwie ]
mnu2 qnu3 mYlw AvguxI icMju4 BrI gMDI Awie ]
A person1, whose mind2 and body3 have become dirty with sins and bad deeds and whose mouth4 is also full with filthy language, tries to cleanse himself by bathing his body and mouth in the pool of alkaline water. (Although the alkaline water has the cleansing power, it cannot cleanse the sinful mind.)

The above interpretation is conveying the same philosophy of Guru Nanak, which has already been summarized in the JAP (The Essence of Nanakian Philoosphy) [5]. In the following stanzas Guru Nanak explains the use of chemical (soap) to clean the dirty clothes and cleansing of mind by conducting good deeds as follows:

BrIAY hQu pYru qnu dyh ] pwxI DoqY auqrsu Kyh ]
mUq plIqI kpVu hoie ] dy swbUxu leIAY Ehu Doie ]
BrIAY miq pwpw kY sMig ] Ehu DopY nwvY1 kY rMig2 ]

puMnI pwpI AwKxu nwih ] kir kir krxw iliK3 lY jwhu ]
Awpy bIij Awpy hI Kwhu ] nwnk hukmI4 Awvhu jwhu5] 20 ]
Aggs, jpu 20, p-20

If hands are soiled with dust then cleansing method is ‘use of simple water’.
If clothes are soiled with urine then cleansing method is ‘use of soap’.
If mind is polluted with sin then cleansing method is ‘use of conscience’ (imbibing Naam).

One does not become virtuous person or vicious person just by saying these words (or pretending to be so).
It is so because of one's repeated good or bad deeds that make3 one as virtuous or vicious.
Nanak says:
What one sows, so one shall reap? (Because)
Every action and reaction is happening5 under the Laws of Universe4.20.
AGGS, Jap 20, p 20.

Similarly, Guru Nanak even condemns the bathing at sacred places to cleanse the filthy mind:

qIriQ nwvw jy iqsu Bwvw ivxu Bwxy ik nwie krI ]
jyqI isriT aupweI vyKw ivxu krmw ik imlY leI ]
Aggs, jpu 6, p-2.

I would bathe at holy places, if it pleases (the almighty).
If this practice is not accepted then bathing at holy places is of no avail.
All the bounties, created (by God) that I see cannot be obtained without performing good deeds.
AGGS, Jap 6, p 2.

suixAw mMinAw min kIqw Bwau ] AMqrgiq qIriQ mil nwau ]
Aggs, jpu 21, p-4.
Listening and accepting (Nanakian philosophy); and developing love (for God and humanity) is equivalent to bathing at holy places, which removes the inner dirt of mind (the polluted mind).
AGGS, Jap 21, p 4