The Shalok after Japji Sahib: My understanding

Dear Khalsa Jee,



Through this post, I share with you what this Shalok means to me.



1. pvxu gurU pwxI ipqw mwqw Driq mhqu ] pavan guroo paanee pitaa maataa Dharat mahat.



Air as Guru, water as father, the earth as great mother.



2. idvsu rwiq duie dweI dwieAw KylY sgl jgqu ] divas raat du-ay daa-ee daa-i-aa khaylai sagal jagat.



Day and night as male and lady nurses, in whose lap the world plays.



3. cMigAweIAw buirAweIAw vwcY Drmu hdUir ] chang-aa-ee-aa buri-aa-ee-aa vaachai Dharam hadoor.



Good and bad Karmas are assessed by ‘The Sat’.



4. krmI Awpo AwpxI ky nyVY ky dUir ] karmee aapo aapnee kay nayrhai kay door.



It is ones own Karmas that decided ones closeness to and the distance from ‘The Sat’.



5. ijnI nwmu iDAwieAw gey mskiq Gwil ] jinee naam Dhi-aa-i-aa ga-ay maskat ghaal.



Those who revere Naam they depart after having exerted to that end.
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/jap-ji-sahib/14446-shalok-after-japji-sahib-my-understanding.html



6. nwnk qy muK aujly kyqI CutI nwil ]1] naanak tay mukh ujlay kaytee chhutee naal. ||1||



O’Nanak, their face radiate, they are the ones librated.



My understanding:



The greatness of my Guru Sahib is evident in this Shalok as is the case in all what is said in Siri Guru Granth Sahib. Guru Sahib has not just limited himself to spirituality, but has given me the all-encompassing blue print for my life.



The rationality of my Guru Sahib and the logical way in which Guru Sahib has provided for all aspect of my life are evident in this Shalok. This Shalok tells me that my Guru Sahib had a scientific way of thinking. Form this Shalok, I can see that my Guru Sahibs were great analysts who could go deep into the issue and find the essence of it, at the same time my Guru Sahibs were great philosophers who could condense the details synthesise them and give it to me in very simple language so that I do not get lost in complicated details. All this I elaborate it below.



Guru Sahib has referred to the earth as the great mother. My learning comes by asking myself why Guru Sahib has said so? What is the logic? What is the rationality? As I search for the answer to these questions, the greatness of my Guru Sahib dawns on me.

The fluid flows into the earth and this earth is pregnant with the plant seeds; life sprouts out and the plants come into being. To all beings these plants provide nourishment that is needed to stay alive. When my body was being shaped and after my birth, my mother provided the nourishment to me. As I grew-up, progressively more and more nourishment came from what earth gave to me. The role, which my mother performed during the early period of my life, started to be performed by ‘Earth’. For this reason, Guru Sahib has used the word mother for earth. Guru Sahib has referred to it as ‘Great Mother’ as it provides for all with no discrimination and with no expectation for any sort of return for what it gives us. There is logic in the thought process and the rationality of conclusion is clear.



Since fluid flows into the ‘Great Mother Earth’ and this fluid happens to be water, Guru Sahib has referred to it as ‘Father’. Without water plants cannot come into being; the ‘Great Mother Earth’ cannot deliver the plants and so the nourishment to any one. It is for this reason Guru Sahib has called water as ‘Father’. There is logic in the thought process and the rationality of conclusion is clear.



We live a life as humans because we have knowledge. Devoid of knowledge, we humans are no different than animals. It is the Guru who teaches us how to learn and provides the basic knowledge that enables us to learn more. Guru to we humans is what air is to life. Without the learning from our Gurus we remain virtually as animals: the human in us never gets formed, it dies; it is as the body dies if the air is not available. That why Guru Sahib referred to air as Guru. Every word has basis; there is logic and rationality in the conclusions.
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=14446



Next question that arise in my mind is what was the need to tell this equivalence in Siri Guru Granth Sahib. The answer that I find is given below.



By using the word mother for earth, father for water and guru for air, Guru Sahib has asked me the revere these entities of nature (earth, water and air) the same way as I revere my mother, father and Guru. Guru Sahib has used the word ‘Mother’ ‘Father’ and ‘Guru’ as metaphors; such use makes it easy for the individuals to extend the needed reverence to the suggested entities of nature. When we revere some entities intensely, we do all that is needed to protect them; it is the natural consequence of reverence. This way Guru Sahib is extending my instincts to protect nature (clean air, clean water and maintain productivity of the earth and conserve it), with same zeal with which I protect my mother, father and guru. Through the learning of this Shalok, Guru Sahib expects each of his followers to be real protector of our environment; this is what Sikhi demand from each one of us.



Guru Sahib has told me the importance of day and night to life. Guru Sahib has referred to one as male nurse and other as female nurse. I absence of any one of them, the life cannot be sustained. Guru Sahib has in a way put both the sexes on the same footing – gender equality in essential part of Sikhi.



In the last four lines Guru Sahib has made me fully responsible for my life. Guru Sahib has told me very clearly that I will get only what I deserve. Guru Sahib has told me that my Karmas (thoughts, speech and action all included) are the bases for my getting or not getting what I seek. This applies to spiritual world as well as to material world. I cannot complain, it is my Karmas that are the basis for what I am and what my environment is. It is only through Naam that I can be librated.



This Shalok is not for casual recitation. In fact, it is a pledge. Every time I read it or recite I am taking a pledge to conserve and protect my environment and to take full responsibility for what I am and what I am not.



Great learning. Sikhi makes me complete and a responsible human.



Wah-e-Guru



With love and respect for all.



Amarpal

 
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Amarpal ji,
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=14446

Thanks for sharing these wonderful thoughts. First line is explained in so much detail, and second one too to a good extent, to make the meanings clearer. Would it be possible for you to provide equal kind of details for the last four lines also?
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=14446

This pledge reminds me of Kamalla Rose Kaur's article about environment protection as per
http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/sikhph...alla+rose+kaur

Thanks once again.

Regards.

Dear Sevadaar Singh Jee,
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=14446

Thank you very much for the feed back; it helps me. The extent of elaboration that I do depends on my perception of the need of it. In my latest posting on the the 1st Pauri of Anand Sahib, I have not elaborated the last line as it is in a way repetition of the first line of the same Pauri.
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=14446

I will keep your observation in mind for all my posting in future.

With love and respect for all.

Amarpal

Thanks Amarpal ji.

Your writings are a great direction for a bhullanhaar like me.
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=14446

Regards.

An excellent post Amarpal veer Ji.
I am highly impressed that the indepth knowledge that you possess.

Dear Member,

You found my post worth, I feel blessed.
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=14446

With love and respect for all.

Amarpal Singh

As per my understanding of Gurbani 'raining period' is a natural matting and nurturing period.

Sahni Mohinder

thaks for such a nice post