Anand Sahib - Pauri 6th

Amarpal · #1 (**permalink**) 22-Nov-2004, 17:35 PM

Dear Khalsa Ji,

With the Kripa of ‘The Sat’, today, I share with you my understanding of the 6th Pauri of the Anand Sahib.

1. swcI ilvY ibnu dyh inmwxI ] saachee livai bin dayh nimaanee.

Without ecstatic devotion the body is not respected.

My understanding:

Guru Sahib tells me that without ecstatic devotion the body is not respected.

First the question arises what is meant by ‘ecstatic devotion’?

My learning tells me that ‘ecstatic devotion’ is a feeling of belonging to ‘The Sat’ where the devotee is seeking nothing in return. It is a deep realisation of the devotee that she or he is a part of that immense, immaculate, infinite, totally independent ‘Sat’. The devotee is one with ‘The Sat’ without a cause.

The next question arises; how do you validate that one is in this state of ecstatic devotion?

Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/anand-sahib/1038-anand-sahib-pauri-6th.html

When the individual, meditates, contemplates or does Jaap with pure mind, if she or he has entered the state of ecstatic devotion, then the response comes from the deeper layers of the brain of the individuals. For no obvious worldly reason, the eyes become wet; tears role down the cheeks; the body trembles with fervour; the voice gets choked up with feeling and the one experiences internal bliss. The devotee becomes the embodiment of the divine; these are the internal and external physical expressions of ecstatic devotion (pure love is part of such devotion).

Any individual cannot simultaneously fake these responses because they originate from the regions of the brain on which the conscious part of the brain has no control. This way the devotee can measure and validate her or his state of ecstatic devotion. This state can be achieved only by the devotee who has incorporated into her or his being what Guru Sahib has said in the 2nd Pauri of Anand Sahib: ‘ay man mayri-aa too sadaa rahu har naalay’.
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=1038

This state the devotee can never reach when she or he is showing reverence to ‘The Sat’ to seek some favour.

The next question comes why Guru Sahib has used the term ‘dayh nimaanee’.

It is natural. The human form is the one that has the potential of allowing the being to merge with ‘The Sat’. If the individual does not strive in this direction, then, in a way, she or he is wasting away this potential of living in human form. In other words, the individual is disrespecting the form i.e. the body. This is the reason why Guru Sahib has used the term ‘dayh nimaanee’.

In short, if the individual is not reaching the state that of an ecstatic devotee, she or he is showing disrespect to the potential that her or his being born in human form has i.e. showing disrespect to human body.

2. dyh inmwxI ilvY bwJhu ikAw kry vycwrIAw ] dayh nimaanee livai baajhahu ki-aa karay vaychaaree-aa.

The body dishonoured in absence of ecstatic devotion, what the helpless individual can do?

My understanding:

Guru Sahib is asking a question as to what the individual should do who is not able to attain the stage of ecstatic devotion.

3. quDu bwJu smrQ koie nwhI ik®pw kir bnvwrIAw ] tuDh baajh samrath ko-ay naahee kirpaa kar banvaaree-aa.

Other than you (‘The Sat’) no one has the power, bestow your grace O’ the owner of beings.

My understanding:

Guru Sahib now answers the question he has raised in the second sentence of this Pauri. Guru Sahib tells me that if I am not able to attain the ecstatic devotion to ‘The Sat’, I should seek the grace of ‘The Sat’ for it; without which nothing is possible.

4. eys nau horu Qwau nwhI sbid lwig svwrIAw ] ays na-o hor thaa-o naahee sabad laag savaaree-aa.

Apart from this there is no place, get imbued in Shabad, which will restore the dignity.

My understanding:

Guru Sahib has now instructs me what to do from my side to receive the grace of ‘The Sat’. Guru Sahib asks me to get imbued with Shabad i.e. live a life in accordance with the teachings enshrined in ‘Sri Guru Granth Sahib’- the Sikhi.

5. khY nwnku ilvY bwJhu ikAw kry vycwrIAw ]6] kahai naanak livai baajhahu ki-aa karay vaychaaree-aa. ||6||

Says Nanak, without ecstatic devotion, what the helpless can do.

My understanding:

Guru Sahib has again repeated for me the utter helplessness of the individual who is not able to reach the state of ecstatic devotion, which only the humans alone have the potential to reach.

With this I close.

With love and respect for all.

Amarpal