Japji Sahib - 30th Pauri

Amarpal · #1 (**permalink**) 04-Oct-2004, 16:45 PM

Dear Khalsa Jee,

Today, I share with you what I understand from 30th Pauri of Japji Sahib.

Preface:

In the earlier Pauri, Guru Sahib has asked me to live a life, which is based on knowledge and guided by compassion. It clearly tells me that Guru Sahib wants me, as a Sikh, to be an aware individual, have a rational thinking mind and have a compassionate heart.

As a Sikh, I am supposed to have a thinking mind and hence it is not necessary for Guru Sahib to be very explicit. Guru Sahib expects me to connect properly, all what is stated in this Pauri, and arrive at the right conclusions. This, Guru Sahib has done as a consideration for those who follow some other faith; not to hurt their feeling, yet tell the truth to his followers. These are the ways of divine individuals; they do not indulged in criticism.

With this preface I now come to the Pauri proper.

1. eykw mweI jugiq ivAweI iqin cyly prvwxu ] aykaa maa-ee jugat vi-aa-ee tin chaylay parvaan.

One divine mother had three followers, which were her part.

2. ieku sMswrI ieku BMfwrI ieku lwey dIbwxu ] ik sansaaree ik bhandaaree ik laa-ay deebaan.

One was creator (Brahma), one was custodian of sustenance (Vishnu) and one was the one who finally collected all around him (Shiva).

My understanding:

Guru Sahib has taken this concept from the mythology of our land. This concept is right at inception of this mythology. As stated in the books, it is not a part of earthly history but is a part of celestial history, so one should not ask for evidence on this earth for all that this mythology tells.

According to this mythology, the creation started with Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva coming into existence from ‘The Source’. Guru Sahib has not called this trinity as sons or brothers, but chela. This is because they were not born the way we mortals are born on this earth. According to the mythology, this trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva came into being before sexual reproduction became a way of propagation of the species. According to mythology, Brahma creates, Vishnu sustains, and Shiva destroys.

In the first two sentences of this Pauri, Guru Sahib has drawn our attention to this narration in the mythology of our land.

3. ijv iqsu BwvY iqvY clwvY ijv hovY Purmwxu ] jiv tis bhaavai tivai chalaavai jiv hovai furmaan.
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/jap-ji-sahib/801-japji-sahib-30th-pauri.html

As it pleases to ‘The Sat’ so ‘The Sat’ drives such is the celestial order of ‘The Sat’.

Please note that I have used the term ‘The Sat’ thrice in the above sentence just because I do not want to use the words ‘he, his or him’ for ‘The Sat’; these words have gender; they take me away from ‘The Sat’. ‘The Sat’ by nature has no need for such distinction; no gender can be ascribed to ‘The Sat’. It is for the same reason I had stopped using the term ‘Karta Purakh’, as in the common perception Purakh is male and by implication I will be ascribing gender to ‘The Sat’, which is not correct for me to do.

My understanding:

This sentence is totally unconnected to the first two sentences of this Pauri. This is the ways of my Guru Sahib. Guru Sahib has brought the origin of the mythology of our land to my mind in the first two sentences and has now started giving me the knowledge, which will help me to draw the right conclusions about the narration of the first two sentences – as a Sikh I should have a thinking mind.

Guru Sahib is telling me that ‘The Sat’ drives all, based on its own wish and such is the nature of saying (furmaan) or order from ‘The Sat’.

In this way Guru Sahib is telling me that there is no distribution of responsibilities as the mythology of our land says. ‘The Sat’ is doing all; it is the only one – the doer. In other words Guru Sahib has told me that the concepts of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, though part of the mythology of our land, are not part of Sikhi. ‘This is repetition of what is said in very beginning of Siri Guru Granth Sahib ‘Ek Onkaar’.

Guru Sahib has told me the position of the Sikhi right at the source/origin of the mythology of our land. As the source/origin itself is not a part of Sikhi; it is needless to repeat that all the elaboration of celestial history that follows these concepts in the mythology and all of its derivatives (which take thousand of pages to describe) are also not part of Sikhi; this is the natural conclusion.

4. Ehu vyKY Enw ndir n AwvY bhuqw eyhu ivfwxu ] oh vaykhai onaa nadar na aavai bahutaa ayhu vidaan.

‘The Sat’ watches over all, but ‘The Sat’ cannot be seen, that is the great provision, that is how The Sat’ is.

My understanding:

Guru Sahib is telling me that ‘The Sat’ can watch all what is happening but ‘The Sat cannot be watched, the system is organised that way.

The question comes to my mind is; why Guru Sahib is telling me this in this Pauri, what is the connection? The answer that comes to my mind is that Guru Sahib is reinforcing what is said in the third sentence of this Pauri. I elaborate it below.

Guru Sahib is conveying to me a simple fact that when we human cannot watch or know about ‘The Sat’ how any one can say that three entities (Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva) exist, came from ‘The Ultimate’ and had the task of doing specific function. It does not stand the questioning from a rational mind – beliefs alone are not enough. In this age of ‘Knowledge’ every concept needs to have adequate rational behind it, if it is to be accepted. This is the basic reason why the mythology of our land is not part of Sikhi. Guru Sahib has made Sikhi knowledge based and rational.

Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=801

This way Guru Sahib has told me that between ‘The Sat’ and me there is no other entity. There is no intermediary between ‘The Sat’ and I. My relation with ‘The Sat’ is direct.

5. Awdysu iqsY Awdysu ] aadays tisai aadays.

Order as his order.

My understanding:

Guru Sahib is telling me that I must willingly, in a natural way, submit myself to the ‘Hukam’ of ‘The Sat’. Guru Sahib is asking me to order and tune my life in accordance with the wishes i.e. the ‘Hukam’ of ‘The Sat’.

6. Awid AnIlu Anwid Anwhiq jugu jugu eyko vysu ]30] aad aneel anaad anaahat jug jug ayko vays. ||30||

The primal one, the pure light, the one without beginning, the one without an end, the one who is ever the same.

My understanding:

Guru Sahib has again emphasised that ‘The Sat’ is one and does not change, it always remain the same. ‘The Sat’ has no beginning and has no end. Hence there cannot be the forms or conceptual or variety of entities representing ‘The Sat’.

Summary of my understanding of this Pauri:

Guru Sahib has told me that ‘The Sat’ is one and one only; it does all. ‘The Sat’ is the real doer. Consequently, ‘The Sat’ does not delegate tasks to any other entity. ‘The Sat’ has no form at all.

My relation with ‘The Sat’ is direct; there is no intermediary. The entities and concepts that are enshrined in the mythology of our land are not part of Sikhi and hence are not part of Sikh way of thinking and living.

With this I close.

With love and respect for all.

Amarpal