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Anand Sahib - Pauri 23rd

Amarpal

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Jun 11, 2004
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Dear Khalsa Ji,



In this post, I share with all what I understand from the 23rd Pauri of Anand Sahib.



1. Awvhu isK siqgurU ky ipAwirho gwvhu scI bwxI ] aavhu sikh satguroo kay pi-aariho gaavhu sachee banee.


Come Sikhs, the beloved of Satguru, sing the true Banee.



My understanding:



This sentence needs to be understood very care fully.



Guru Sahib is calling upon those Sikhs who are the beloved of Satguru to sing the true Banee. The term beloved needs to be studied in detail. and the usage of the term ‘true Banee’ needs to be understood.



(i)



I know ‘The Sat’ loves me, no matter what I do, no matter what I am, ‘The Sat’ continues to care for me, sustains life in me, and carries me through the life. Never demanding any thing in return from me for what ‘The Sat’ does for me. This is nothing but love, in the pure sense of the word. Yet Guru Sahib is calling upon those Sikhs who are beloved of Satguru; am I not included in them? Why Guru Sahib has added this adjective ‘beloved’? This needs to be understood.



(ii)



As I know the entire Banee is true, then why is Guru Sahib referring of something as Sachee Banee. This also needs understanding.



(iii)



The word ‘Gaavhu’ as I understand does not mean to be just singing, as we understand in our day-to-day living. To me, my past learning of Gurbani tells that Gaavhu here means that my whole being should resonate with Banee i.e. my thoughts, my speech, my actions, and my whole living should naturally in accordance with Banee. The word natural, which I have used here, means that it should be my spontaneous way; it should not demand any editing or guidance, effort or attention from my mind. This state should be natural to me and my action should flow out of it as water flows down the gradient. True, in this state Kirtan or singings are definitely part of it but this state is not just limited to these two; it is much wider in scope.



My life should become a living expression of Shabad. This is what Gaavhu means to me.



2. bwxI q gwvhu gurU kyrI bwxIAw isir bwxI ] banee ta gaavhu guroo kayree baanee-aa sir banee.



Sing the Banee of the Guru, which is the Head of the Banee.



My understanding:



As I understand all Gurbani is of equal importance, how can any Banee be ‘Sir Banee’?



Yet Guru sahib has said so; Guru Sahib knows all and is always correct. This makes me think. I come to the conclusion that this sentence cannot be taken literally, there is more to it, which needs to be understood.



As I understand, through this sentence Guru Sahib here explains to me what he means by the Sachee Banee, the term he has used in the previous sentence.



The word ‘Sir’ here appears to be a metaphor. I have to analyse this word.



‘Sir’ means head. My head has brain, which is the source of all that I think and I do. Through this metaphor ‘Sir’ Guru Sahib tells me that I must look for the fountainhead from which the specific part of the Gurbani has sprung i.e. the specific intent of the Gurbani; in other words the truth, the teaching that is contained in the specific part of the Gurbani.



When I succeed in discovering the truth (teaching) contained in the Banee, and then only the Banee becomes ‘Sachee’ (true) for me, otherwise it is just a combination of words. To me this comes out to be the real meaning of ‘Sachee Banee’.



Further, as I understand, only the teachings, i.e. the truth that can be incorporated in one’s being not the words. The words are only for outwardly expression; they are for communicating the intent of the Gurbani to others. The essence of the Gurbani i.e. the teaching alone can flow inward into my being.



Guru Sahib in earlier sentence has said ‘Gaavhu Sachee Bani’, to me, it means that I should internalise (Gaavhu) in my being the teachings (Sachee Bani). This way my being should resonate with it.



For example: when Gurbani says ‘Ayk noor se sub jag upajaya-----‘. The Banee is not meant just for repetition, or for keep reciting it in any ritualistic way; there is an element of teaching in it. It is the teachings that have to be realised in one’s being. To me the referred tuk conveys that all life forms are equal and consequently worthy of respect. This is the understanding which I can condition one’s mind with. To me this is the Sach (truth) in this Banee and my Guru Sahib is telling me to select the essence of the Gurbani and incorporate in my being.



When I understand the intent i.e. the essence of the Gurbani and incorporate in my being, the truth of Gurbani becomes part of me. Once I incorporate the teachings in my being, Gurbani then resides in me. Then if I recite the Banee becomes Sachee to me, as there is one to one correspondence between the Gurbani, and me; it comes from the depth of my heart and soul. If this is not done then the text of Banee gets reduced to a just a combination of words which is grammatically correct, utterance of which becomes mere ritual.



To summarise in a few sentences: The entire Banee is Sachee when I a disciple, learner, a Sikh understands the truth (teachings) contained in it. When these teaching I incorporate in my being, I become one with it and start resonating with this Sachee Banee, a melody of life results – that is Gaavhu. All this put together becomes what my Guru Sahib said to me in these words ‘Gaavhu Sachee Banee’.



What a great way of my Guru Sahib to teach me how the study, understand and realise the truth contained in the Banee and to incorporate it in my being.



Wah-e-Guru.



Guru Sahib has explained to me what he meant by the words ‘Gaavhu Sachee Banee’ as applied to real life. Guru Sahib is yet to tell me what he meant by ‘Beloved Sikhs’.



3. ijn kau ndir krmu hovY ihrdY iqnw smwxI ] jin ka-o nadar karam hovai hirdai tinaa samaanee.



Those who are in sight, having the Karmas, in their hearts it resides.



My understanding:



Wah-e-Guru! Wah-e-Guru! Wah-e-Guru! My Guru Sahib has explained to me who are these beloved Sikhs?



Nadar literally means in view (line of sight), in the context of my understanding it means link with ‘The Sat’ with no obstruction in between the two. ‘Beloved Sikhs’ are the disciples who have removed all that is between themselves and ‘The Sat’ (jin kao nadar). These disciples have dissolved their Ahamkara and brought their mental resistance to zero. They are at the feet of the Satguru (Refer earlier Pauris of Anand Sahib).



Guru Sahib has said that it is the Karmas that give this privilege of being ‘Beloved’. In other words Guru Sahib instruct me to put in efforts (Karmas) and purify myself mentally. In earlier Pauri he had asked me to become Nirmal. These efforts are the Karmas that Guru Sahib is referring to in this sentence.



Guru Sahib tells me clearly, that if by right effort I have become Nirmal, if I have no mental resistance to the teachings of Gurbani, then there will be direct link and Sikhi (the teachings of Sri Guru Granth Sahib) will moves into my being (hirdai). I know then only I will resonate with Shabad and become a Gurmukh.



What a great teaching from my Guru Sahib. Wah-e-Guru!



4. pIvhu AMimRqu sdw rhhu hir rMig jiphu swirgpwxI ] peevhu amrit sadaa rahhu har rang japihu saarigpaanee.



Will always drink Amrit; doing Jaap will always remain imbued with the hue of sustainer of the world.



My understanding:



Guru Sahib tells me that the person who has incorporated the truth contained in Gurbani into her or his being does not fear death. He is always in the remembrance of ‘The Sat’. In other words this person has crossed the ‘Bavjal’; she or he has mastered Samsara and is now beyond it.



5. khY nwnku sdw gwvhu eyh scI bwxI ]23] kahai naanak sadaa gaavhu ayh sachee banee. ||23||



Says Nanak, always resonate with the truth contained in Banee.



My understanding:



In this last sentence of this Pauri, Guru Sahib has once again summarised the teachings of this Pauri for me.



Wah-e-Guru.



With this I close my post on this Pauri of Anand Sahib.



With love and respect for all.



Amarpal Singh
 

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