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Sukhmani Sahib - Pauri 2 Of Asthpadi 2

Amarpal

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Jun 11, 2004
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Dear Khalsa Ji,

This post coveys to you what I understand from the 2nd Pauri of the 2nd Ashtapadee of Sukhmani Sahib.

1. sgl isRsit ko rwjw duKIAw ] sagal sarisat ko raajaa dukhee-aa.
The king of entire world is unhappy.

My understanding:
Guru Sahib in this sentence mentions that all those individuals who have all the powers to do things in this world live in some sort of sorrow. They always have some element of their lives wanting something. They may have all the pleasures of the world, but do not have the joyful peace of mind; they suffer in its absence. They remain unhappy on one account or another.

2.
hir kw nwmu jpq hoie suKIAw ] har kaa naam japat ho-ay sukhee-aa.
One who repeats the ‘Naam’ lives in joyful peace.
My understanding:
Guru Sahib tells me that the way to the bliss (joyful peace) - the word for it in Gurmukhi is Sukh. When one lives a truthful life in remembrance of ‘The Sat’, the purity of the mind is restored over a period of time. This person is no longer driven by wants, craving is not part of him any more, and contentment becomes the natural way of life. This person now lives a life as determined by ‘Human’ of ‘The Sat’. This person participates in the process, putting in the efforts to evolve further both in her or his spiritual and temporal life because the person knows that evolution is the will of ‘The Sat’, otherwise life would not have evolved starting from a very simple life form to the complex entity like we humans. Working in a contented manner, without craving, this person becomes the instrument of ‘The Sat’ in the process of evolution. All this awareness and balance between the spiritual life and material life comes because of purity of mind which ‘Simran’ brings.

3.
lwK krorI bMDu n prY ] laakh karoree banDh na parai.
Having, lakh (One tenth of a million), crore (ten million), will not arrest the flow.
My understanding:
Guru Sahib emphasizes that no matter who much one accumulates the flow of desires will never stop. One cannot build a dam to arrest its flow. It is evident. The desires take birth in our minds bases on the input received by senses. If our mind is in a habit of following them, then the desire gets created. Any unfulfilled desire causes craving and the associated suffering. The individual has to be in command of its mental faculties. ‘The Sat’ has given this extraordinary mental ability to make use of it and evolve – ‘Chardi Kala’. This faculty should not be wasted by letting it be controlled by senses which always seek their own gratification. This what Guru Sahib is conveying in this sentence.

4.
hir kw nwmu jpq insqrY ] har kaa naam japat nistarai.
Repeating the name of ‘The Sat’ one gets over.
My understanding:
This sentence tells the path that one can follow so as not to get trapped by desires. Guru Sahib says that by repeating the name of ‘The Sat’ one can shed the vices. I understand, it will be so, because the innate purity of the mind will return and the person then will be living the truthful life of a house holder.

5.
Aink mwieAw rMg iqK n buJwvY ] anik maa-i-aa rang tikh na bujhaavai.
Numerous colors of Maya will not quench the thirst.
My understanding:
First share with you what I understand from the term Maya. Maya is something which is not real. To me all that constitute creation is real as ‘The Sat’ resides in it. How an entity in which ‘The Sat’ is, can be unreal? It is not possible. I am real, you are real, and all living entities are real. We know from our experience in life that all the non living entities too are real. Then it needs to be answered, what is not real.

The unreal in our life is our mental perception. On occasions, in inadequately illuminated places we mistake rope for a snake. Such perception are many, they result from our being limited. We are inadequate to perceive the totality. What ever we think to be true is always a partial vision as it is created from the premise or the ideal with which we are viewing the subject. Our perception is relative to our given position –physical or mental. Because of this it can be said that we are living a relative or partial life; there is nothing absolute or complete in it. Absolute is only ‘One’. We are no where near to this ‘One’ – ‘The Sat’. We humans cannot have total perception; we are limited in our nature. This is true even in science; all it’s conclusion are tentative, they appear to be true today. The past evolution in science shows how many of its theories, which were thought to be true have been disproved or modified; in future too this will happen.
This way Maya is a mental perception which is partial, inadequate and sometimes totally wrong also.

Guru Sahib tells in this sentence the all forms or colours of Maya (partial understanding) cannot give any satisfaction. It is bound to be so, as the definition of Maya itself tells that there is something missing it. This missing element prevents the thirst from being quenched.

6. hir kw nwmu jpq AwGwvY ] har kaa naam japat aaghaavai.
Repeating the name of ‘The Sat’ the satisfaction comes.
My understanding:
Guru Sahib says that by repeating the name of ‘The Sat’; by living in remembrance of ‘The Sat’ one feels satisfied. I understand that with the purity of mind that comes from ‘Nishkam Simran’, wisdom dawns on the person. The individual realizes the limited nature of we people and the role that Maya plays in making us go astray. With this realization, the concept of ‘Hukam’, ‘Gurparsadi’ and ‘Karta Purakh starts making sense to the individual. The person now knows that all that she or he is and what is achieved is not just by her or his efforts alone, there is divine hand behind it, which always remain anonymous.

7.
ijh mwrig iehu jwq iekylw ] jih maarag ih jaat ikaylaa.
This path the person has to tread alone.
My understanding:
Guru Sahib here refers to the path of ‘Naam’ that one has to follow to attain the mental purity. Guru Sahib says that the individual itself has to achieve all the mental discipline needed to achieve this purity; on one other human can do it for the individual. The purity of mind cannot be transplanted from one person to the other; it has to be cultivated by one’s own efforts. It is for this reason Guru Sahib has called this path lonely.

8. qh hir nwmu sMig hoq suhylw ] tah har naam sang hot suhaylaa.
On this path, the ‘Naam is always with the individual
My understanding:
Here Guru Sahib shows me the silver lining. He says that though this path to purity is lonely and there is no human who can accompany me, but ‘The Sat’ is always with me and helps me in this effort.

9.
AYsw nwmu mn sdw iDAweIAY ] aisaa naam man sadaa Dhi-aa-ee-ai.
Such ‘Naam’, my mind should always meditate on.
My understanding:
Guru Sahib tells me that the companion i.e. ‘The Sat’ who is with me even on this lonely path, this presence of ‘The Sat, I should always feel in me.

10.
nwnk gurmuiK prm giq pweIAY ]2] naanak gurmukh param gat paa-ee-ai. ||2||
O’ Nanak, Gurmukh attains this highest state.

My understanding:

Guru Sahib, through this sentence tells that when the person has achieved the purity of mind which enables this person to feel the presence of ‘The Sat’ in her or him, that is the highest spiritual state for a Gurmukh to achieve.

Now I close this post.

With love and respect for all.
Amarpal Singh
 

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