Dear Khalsa Ji,
With the grace of ‘The Sat’, in this post, I share with you what I understand from the 13th Pauri of Anand Sahib.
1. suir nr muin jn AMimRqu Kojdy su AMimRqu gur qy pwieAw ] sur nar mun jan amrit khojday so amrit gur tay paa-i-aa.
Heavenly entities, humans and the silent sages search for ambrosial fluid; this Amrit is obtained from the Guru (The Sat).
My understanding:
Guru Sahib in this sentence tells me that some of those who want to evolve spiritually wander a lot in search of Amrit. Guru Sahib directs me to the truth that this Amrit cannot be searched; it can be obtained only from ‘The Sat’. By implications it means that it is part of ‘Gurparsadi’.
Here it is important to understand this word ‘Amrit’. If we take the meaning, which currently prevails, among our masses, it means the fluid, which if an individual drinks that individual will never die. We also hear from our elders, the stories that suggest many individuals in ancient times have drunk this ‘Amrit’. If the perceived meaning by the common person is correct then, these so called ‘amar’ individuals should be living with us now and beyond. We do not find them among ourselves, they are all dead long back. This negates the meaning of this word ‘Amrit’ which the common man accepts. This fact makes it necessary to take a fresh look on its meaning.
As is the case now, in ancient days too, all the water bodies did not have water, safe enough, for human consumption. Water born diseases were taking toll of humans causing discomfort and deaths. The water that was safe for drinking and did not cause death was accordingly termed as ‘Amrit’ i.e. not dead. This word was meant to suggest the water, which if drunk will not cause death. Over period of time the stories gave it altogether different meaning which now prevail among our masses. According to my understanding, ‘Amrit’ as perceived by people never existed. This we will find in the next sentences of this Pauri. The Amrit that ‘The Sat’ gives is not fluid at all; it is different.
2. pwieAw AMimRqu guir ik®pw kInI scw min vswieAw ] paa-i-aa amrit gur kirpaa keenee sachaa man vasaa-i-aa.
Obtained ‘Amrit’ by the Grace of the Guru (‘The Sat’), which enshrines the ‘True One’ in the mind.
My understanding:
Guru Sahib instructs me to qualify for the grace of ‘The Sat’. ‘The Sat’ alone can cleanse all the filth that I have collected in my life, which has polluted my mind. With the blessing of ‘The Sat’ the ‘True One’ will then reside in my mind and illuminate it. We all know there is only one ‘True One’ i.e. ‘The Sat’. We also know ‘The Sat’ is independent of time and is ‘Ajuni’ i.e. not born. Naturally the ‘The Sat’ can never cease to exist – only those who are born die. ‘The Sat’ never dies and so it is ‘Amrit’. Consequently, when ‘The Sat’ resides in one’s mind, that individual has received the ‘Amrit’. This way we understand that ‘The Sat’ is ‘Amrit’. This is the meaning of Amrit that Sikhi teaches me. For me ‘Amrit’ is not some sort of fluid that has to be drunk as the ancient literature of our land sometimes suggests. It is the purity of mind that qualifies the individual to be graced by ‘The Sat’. ‘Wah-e-Guru’.
3. jIA jMq siB quDu aupwey ieik vyiK prsix AwieAw ] jee-a jant sabh tuDh upaa-ay ik vaykh parsan aa-i-aa.
All living entities are your creation; only few see and seek your blessing.
My understanding:
Guru Sahib explains to me the veil that the worldly living can create over my mind. It has the potential to cut me from my source. This veil can prevent me from seeing my own source - ‘The Sat’. As a result it can make me wander in different directions to seek satisfaction. Guru Sahib is cautioning me, not to forget my source. I know I have to merge with my source i.e. ‘The Sat’.
4. lbu loBu AhMkwru cUkw siqgurU Blw BwieAw ] lab lobh ahaNkaar chookaa satguroo bhalaa bhaa-i-aa.
With the greed, Ahamkara totally dissolved, “The Sat’ becomes sweet.
My understanding:
Guru Sahib tells me the constituents of this veil. These are greed and Ahamkara. With the blessings from ‘The Sat’ when wisdom dawns on the individual, these vices start loosing grip on her or him – the mind starts becoming pure. Pure mind is the place where “The Sat’ resides. This way Guru Sahib tells me, only if I try on my own to get over my greed and Ahamkara, then only the blessing from ‘The Sat’ will come.
It is this what Guru Sahib meant when he said in the previous sentence that only few come to seek your blessing i.e. there are few individuals who strive to purify their mind on their own. When one tries to purify ones mind, in effect, she or he is seeking the blessings of ‘The Sat’ to help her or him to proceed further on this path.
5. khY nwnku ijs no Awip quTw iqin AMimRqu gur qy pwieAw ]13] kahai naanak jis no aap tuthaa tin amrit gur tay paa-i-aa. ||13||
Says Nanak, the one with whom you are pleased gets the Amrit from the Guru (‘The Sat’)
My understanding:
Guru Sahib tells me that my efforts to cleanse my mind are needed, but to reach the level of purity of mind where ‘The True One’ resides there, the blessings of ‘The Sat’ are needed. To me these blessings is part of ‘Gurparsadi’.
With this I close.
With love and respect for all.
Amarpal
With the grace of ‘The Sat’, in this post, I share with you what I understand from the 13th Pauri of Anand Sahib.
1. suir nr muin jn AMimRqu Kojdy su AMimRqu gur qy pwieAw ] sur nar mun jan amrit khojday so amrit gur tay paa-i-aa.
Heavenly entities, humans and the silent sages search for ambrosial fluid; this Amrit is obtained from the Guru (The Sat).
My understanding:
Guru Sahib in this sentence tells me that some of those who want to evolve spiritually wander a lot in search of Amrit. Guru Sahib directs me to the truth that this Amrit cannot be searched; it can be obtained only from ‘The Sat’. By implications it means that it is part of ‘Gurparsadi’.
Here it is important to understand this word ‘Amrit’. If we take the meaning, which currently prevails, among our masses, it means the fluid, which if an individual drinks that individual will never die. We also hear from our elders, the stories that suggest many individuals in ancient times have drunk this ‘Amrit’. If the perceived meaning by the common person is correct then, these so called ‘amar’ individuals should be living with us now and beyond. We do not find them among ourselves, they are all dead long back. This negates the meaning of this word ‘Amrit’ which the common man accepts. This fact makes it necessary to take a fresh look on its meaning.
As is the case now, in ancient days too, all the water bodies did not have water, safe enough, for human consumption. Water born diseases were taking toll of humans causing discomfort and deaths. The water that was safe for drinking and did not cause death was accordingly termed as ‘Amrit’ i.e. not dead. This word was meant to suggest the water, which if drunk will not cause death. Over period of time the stories gave it altogether different meaning which now prevail among our masses. According to my understanding, ‘Amrit’ as perceived by people never existed. This we will find in the next sentences of this Pauri. The Amrit that ‘The Sat’ gives is not fluid at all; it is different.
2. pwieAw AMimRqu guir ik®pw kInI scw min vswieAw ] paa-i-aa amrit gur kirpaa keenee sachaa man vasaa-i-aa.
Obtained ‘Amrit’ by the Grace of the Guru (‘The Sat’), which enshrines the ‘True One’ in the mind.
My understanding:
Guru Sahib instructs me to qualify for the grace of ‘The Sat’. ‘The Sat’ alone can cleanse all the filth that I have collected in my life, which has polluted my mind. With the blessing of ‘The Sat’ the ‘True One’ will then reside in my mind and illuminate it. We all know there is only one ‘True One’ i.e. ‘The Sat’. We also know ‘The Sat’ is independent of time and is ‘Ajuni’ i.e. not born. Naturally the ‘The Sat’ can never cease to exist – only those who are born die. ‘The Sat’ never dies and so it is ‘Amrit’. Consequently, when ‘The Sat’ resides in one’s mind, that individual has received the ‘Amrit’. This way we understand that ‘The Sat’ is ‘Amrit’. This is the meaning of Amrit that Sikhi teaches me. For me ‘Amrit’ is not some sort of fluid that has to be drunk as the ancient literature of our land sometimes suggests. It is the purity of mind that qualifies the individual to be graced by ‘The Sat’. ‘Wah-e-Guru’.
3. jIA jMq siB quDu aupwey ieik vyiK prsix AwieAw ] jee-a jant sabh tuDh upaa-ay ik vaykh parsan aa-i-aa.
All living entities are your creation; only few see and seek your blessing.
My understanding:
Guru Sahib explains to me the veil that the worldly living can create over my mind. It has the potential to cut me from my source. This veil can prevent me from seeing my own source - ‘The Sat’. As a result it can make me wander in different directions to seek satisfaction. Guru Sahib is cautioning me, not to forget my source. I know I have to merge with my source i.e. ‘The Sat’.
4. lbu loBu AhMkwru cUkw siqgurU Blw BwieAw ] lab lobh ahaNkaar chookaa satguroo bhalaa bhaa-i-aa.
With the greed, Ahamkara totally dissolved, “The Sat’ becomes sweet.
My understanding:
Guru Sahib tells me the constituents of this veil. These are greed and Ahamkara. With the blessings from ‘The Sat’ when wisdom dawns on the individual, these vices start loosing grip on her or him – the mind starts becoming pure. Pure mind is the place where “The Sat’ resides. This way Guru Sahib tells me, only if I try on my own to get over my greed and Ahamkara, then only the blessing from ‘The Sat’ will come.
It is this what Guru Sahib meant when he said in the previous sentence that only few come to seek your blessing i.e. there are few individuals who strive to purify their mind on their own. When one tries to purify ones mind, in effect, she or he is seeking the blessings of ‘The Sat’ to help her or him to proceed further on this path.
5. khY nwnku ijs no Awip quTw iqin AMimRqu gur qy pwieAw ]13] kahai naanak jis no aap tuthaa tin amrit gur tay paa-i-aa. ||13||
Says Nanak, the one with whom you are pleased gets the Amrit from the Guru (‘The Sat’)
My understanding:
Guru Sahib tells me that my efforts to cleanse my mind are needed, but to reach the level of purity of mind where ‘The True One’ resides there, the blessings of ‘The Sat’ are needed. To me these blessings is part of ‘Gurparsadi’.
With this I close.
With love and respect for all.
Amarpal
