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Guru Granth Sahib
Composition, Arrangement & Layout
ਜਪੁ | Jup
ਸੋ ਦਰੁ | So Dar
ਸੋਹਿਲਾ | Sohilaa
ਰਾਗੁ ਸਿਰੀਰਾਗੁ | Raag Siree-Raag
Gurbani (14-53)
Ashtpadiyan (53-71)
Gurbani (71-74)
Pahre (74-78)
Chhant (78-81)
Vanjara (81-82)
Vaar Siri Raag (83-91)
Bhagat Bani (91-93)
ਰਾਗੁ ਮਾਝ | Raag Maajh
Gurbani (94-109)
Ashtpadi (109)
Ashtpadiyan (110-129)
Ashtpadi (129-130)
Ashtpadiyan (130-133)
Bara Maha (133-136)
Din Raen (136-137)
Vaar Maajh Ki (137-150)
ਰਾਗੁ ਗਉੜੀ | Raag Gauree
Gurbani (151-185)
Quartets/Couplets (185-220)
Ashtpadiyan (220-234)
Karhalei (234-235)
Ashtpadiyan (235-242)
Chhant (242-249)
Baavan Akhari (250-262)
Sukhmani (262-296)
Thittee (296-300)
Gauree kii Vaar (300-323)
Gurbani (323-330)
Ashtpadiyan (330-340)
Baavan Akhari (340-343)
Thintteen (343-344)
Vaar Kabir (344-345)
Bhagat Bani (345-346)
ਰਾਗੁ ਆਸਾ | Raag Aasaa
Gurbani (347-348)
Chaupaday (348-364)
Panchpadde (364-365)
Kaafee (365-409)
Aasaavaree (409-411)
Ashtpadiyan (411-432)
Patee (432-435)
Chhant (435-462)
Vaar Aasaa (462-475)
Bhagat Bani (475-488)
ਰਾਗੁ ਗੂਜਰੀ | Raag Goojaree
Gurbani (489-503)
Ashtpadiyan (503-508)
Vaar Gujari (508-517)
Vaar Gujari (517-526)
ਰਾਗੁ ਦੇਵਗੰਧਾਰੀ | Raag Dayv-Gandhaaree
Gurbani (527-536)
ਰਾਗੁ ਬਿਹਾਗੜਾ | Raag Bihaagraa
Gurbani (537-556)
Chhant (538-548)
Vaar Bihaagraa (548-556)
ਰਾਗੁ ਵਡਹੰਸ | Raag Wadhans
Gurbani (557-564)
Ashtpadiyan (564-565)
Chhant (565-575)
Ghoriaan (575-578)
Alaahaniiaa (578-582)
Vaar Wadhans (582-594)
ਰਾਗੁ ਸੋਰਠਿ | Raag Sorath
Gurbani (595-634)
Asatpadhiya (634-642)
Vaar Sorath (642-659)
ਰਾਗੁ ਧਨਾਸਰੀ | Raag Dhanasaree
Gurbani (660-685)
Astpadhiya (685-687)
Chhant (687-691)
Bhagat Bani (691-695)
ਰਾਗੁ ਜੈਤਸਰੀ | Raag Jaitsree
Gurbani (696-703)
Chhant (703-705)
Vaar Jaitsaree (705-710)
Bhagat Bani (710)
ਰਾਗੁ ਟੋਡੀ | Raag Todee
ਰਾਗੁ ਬੈਰਾੜੀ | Raag Bairaaree
ਰਾਗੁ ਤਿਲੰਗ | Raag Tilang
Gurbani (721-727)
Bhagat Bani (727)
ਰਾਗੁ ਸੂਹੀ | Raag Suhi
Gurbani (728-750)
Ashtpadiyan (750-761)
Kaafee (761-762)
Suchajee (762)
Gunvantee (763)
Chhant (763-785)
Vaar Soohee (785-792)
Bhagat Bani (792-794)
ਰਾਗੁ ਬਿਲਾਵਲੁ | Raag Bilaaval
Gurbani (795-831)
Ashtpadiyan (831-838)
Thitteen (838-840)
Vaar Sat (841-843)
Chhant (843-848)
Vaar Bilaaval (849-855)
Bhagat Bani (855-858)
ਰਾਗੁ ਗੋਂਡ | Raag Gond
Gurbani (859-869)
Ashtpadiyan (869)
Bhagat Bani (870-875)
ਰਾਗੁ ਰਾਮਕਲੀ | Raag Ramkalee
Ashtpadiyan (902-916)
Gurbani (876-902)
Anand (917-922)
Sadd (923-924)
Chhant (924-929)
Dakhnee (929-938)
Sidh Gosat (938-946)
Vaar Ramkalee (947-968)
ਰਾਗੁ ਨਟ ਨਾਰਾਇਨ | Raag Nat Narayan
Gurbani (975-980)
Ashtpadiyan (980-983)
ਰਾਗੁ ਮਾਲੀ ਗਉੜਾ | Raag Maalee Gauraa
Gurbani (984-988)
Bhagat Bani (988)
ਰਾਗੁ ਮਾਰੂ | Raag Maaroo
Gurbani (889-1008)
Ashtpadiyan (1008-1014)
Kaafee (1014-1016)
Ashtpadiyan (1016-1019)
Anjulian (1019-1020)
Solhe (1020-1033)
Dakhni (1033-1043)
ਰਾਗੁ ਤੁਖਾਰੀ | Raag Tukhaari
Bara Maha (1107-1110)
Chhant (1110-1117)
ਰਾਗੁ ਕੇਦਾਰਾ | Raag Kedara
Gurbani (1118-1123)
Bhagat Bani (1123-1124)
ਰਾਗੁ ਭੈਰਉ | Raag Bhairo
Gurbani (1125-1152)
Partaal (1153)
Ashtpadiyan (1153-1167)
ਰਾਗੁ ਬਸੰਤੁ | Raag Basant
Gurbani (1168-1187)
Ashtpadiyan (1187-1193)
Vaar Basant (1193-1196)
ਰਾਗੁ ਸਾਰਗ | Raag Saarag
Gurbani (1197-1200)
Partaal (1200-1231)
Ashtpadiyan (1232-1236)
Chhant (1236-1237)
Vaar Saarang (1237-1253)
ਰਾਗੁ ਮਲਾਰ | Raag Malaar
Gurbani (1254-1293)
Partaal (1265-1273)
Ashtpadiyan (1273-1278)
Chhant (1278)
Vaar Malaar (1278-91)
Bhagat Bani (1292-93)
ਰਾਗੁ ਕਾਨੜਾ | Raag Kaanraa
Gurbani (1294-96)
Partaal (1296-1318)
Ashtpadiyan (1308-1312)
Chhant (1312)
Vaar Kaanraa
Bhagat Bani (1318)
ਰਾਗੁ ਕਲਿਆਨ | Raag Kalyaan
Gurbani (1319-23)
Ashtpadiyan (1323-26)
ਰਾਗੁ ਪ੍ਰਭਾਤੀ | Raag Prabhaatee
Gurbani (1327-1341)
Ashtpadiyan (1342-51)
ਰਾਗੁ ਜੈਜਾਵੰਤੀ | Raag Jaijaiwanti
Gurbani (1352-53)
Salok | Gatha | Phunahe | Chaubole | Swayiye
Sehskritee Mahala 1
Sehskritee Mahala 5
Gaathaa Mahala 5
Phunhay Mahala 5
Chaubolae Mahala 5
Shaloks Bhagat Kabir
Shaloks Sheikh Farid
Swaiyyae Mahala 5
Swaiyyae in Praise of Gurus
Shaloks in Addition To Vaars
Shalok Ninth Mehl
Mundavanee Mehl 5
ਰਾਗ ਮਾਲਾ, Raag Maalaa
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Interdependence Of Things - A Gurbani Perspective
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<blockquote data-quote="Dr. D. P. Singh" data-source="post: 110112" data-attributes="member: 2479"><p style="text-align: center"><strong><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><span style="font-size: 18px">INTERDEPENDENCE OF THINGS - A GURBANI PERSPECTIVE</span></span></strong></p><p></p><p style="text-align: center"><strong><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><span style="font-size: 12px">Dr. D. P. Singh</span></span></strong></p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'">Any two things, living or non-living, countries or nations that cooperate with each other are said to be interdependent or <span style="color: #333333">mutually dependent.</span> Interdependence can also be defined as interconnectedness and reliance on one another socially, economically, environmentally and politically. It is a dynamic of being mutually and physically responsible to and sharing a common set of principles with others</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><span style="font-size: 12px">Some people advocate independence</span></span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><span style="font-size: 12px"> as a sort of ultimate good; others do the same with devotion to one's family, Community, or</span></span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><span style="font-size: 12px"> society</span></span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><span style="font-size: 12px">. Interdependence recognizes the truth in each position and weaves them together. Sri Guru Granth Sahib, the holy scriputre of the Sikhs, emphasises the importance of interdependence of all things. It stresses that perserving the natural state of things is a sine-qua-none for the sustainability of life </span></span><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'">on earth. </span></span></p><p> </p><p><strong><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><span style="font-size: 18px">Interdependence in Nature</span></span></strong></p><p> </p><p><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><span style="font-size: 12px">In our daily life, we are inclined to perceive things as real and independent of each other. Take for example, a leaf, which we see on the branch in front of us. We may think that this leaf exists independently of all the other leaves, independently of the branch, the trunk, and the root of the tree, independently of the clouds, the water, the earth, and the sky. In truth, this leaf could not be here without the presence of all the other things, which we see as different from it. The leaf is one with the other leaves, the branch, the trunk, and the roots of the tree; with the clouds, the river, the earth, the sky and the sunlight. If anyone of these things were not present, the leaf could not be. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'">If we look deeply into the leaf, we can see the presence of all these things. The leaf and these things are present together. This is the principle of interbeing and interpenetration, the principle of one is all and all is one. This principle of interdependent origination tells us that things do not exist outside of each other. Things exist within each other and with each other. Guru Nanak proclaims the principle of interdependent origination in his composition ‘Japu’ as </span></span></p><p style="text-align: center"><em><span style="color: red"><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'">Pavan guru paani pita Maata dharat mahat.</span></span></span></em></p> <p style="text-align: center"><em><span style="color: red"><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'">Divas raat do-e daaee daa-ia Khelai sagal jagat.</span></span></span></em></p> <p style="text-align: center"><span style="color: red"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'">(SGGS, Japu, Shalok, p 8)</span></span> </p><p><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><span style="font-size: 12px">i.e. Air is vital force, Water the progenitor, the vast Earth is the mother of all, Days and Nights are nurses, fondling all creation in their lap.</span></span></p><p> </p><p><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'">In Sri Guru Granth Sahib, all the elements of material world are seen no more as external to each other, but being involved in inter-dependent relationship, reciprocally conditioning the life of each other. Guru Nanak emphasises this kind of inter-dependent relationship in his hymn;</span></p><p style="text-align: center"><em><span style="color: red"><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'">Jo antar so baahar daykhhu avar na doojaa ko-ee jee-o.</span></span></span></em></p> <p style="text-align: center"><em><span style="color: red"><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'">gurmukh ayk darisat kar daykhhu ghat ghat jot samo-ee jee-o.</span></span></span></em></p> <p style="text-align: center"><span style="color: red"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'">(SGGS, Sorath Mehlaa 1, p 599)</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><span style="font-size: 12px">i.e. Whatever is within, same is outside. See that there is nothing else. By divine prompting look upon all existence as one and undifferentiated; the same light penetrates all existence.</span></span></p><p> </p><p><strong><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><span style="font-size: 18px">Interdependence of Body and Universe</span></span></strong></p><p> </p><p><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'">All phenomena in the Universe need to be observed in the light of interdependence. Let us take the case of a human body. There is an interrelationship between our body and all that is in the Universe. We should be aware of the presence of earth, water, fire, air and space elements in our body. These are the Five Great Elements, also referred to as the realms. The earth represents the hard, solid nature of matter. The water element represents the liquid, permeating nature. The fire element represents heat, and the air element represents movement. The<span style="color: black"> space represents </span>the unlimited expanse, in which everything exists<span style="color: black">,</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><span style="font-size: 12px">Our bodies are more than three-fourth water. When we look deeply in order to see the water in our body, not only does we see the liquid, permeating nature of the blood, sweat, saliva, tears and urine, but we also see the water element in every cell of our body. We see earth in us, earth as the minerals in our body. We also see that earth is alive in us because, thanks to Mother Earth, we have food to eat. Without air we could not survive, since we, as every other species on Earth, need air to live. Fire in our body is energy with which we do our daily chores. Our body exist in space and contains it as well. In it, there is space for inhaling air, space for intake of food and drinks, space for the flow of blood and other liquids. Above all, all the cells of body also contain a lot of empty space. Thus one can see interrelated nature of oneself and the universe. In Sri Guru Granth Sahib, Bhagat Peepa Ji articulates about this interrelationship as; </span></span></p><p style="text-align: center"><em><span style="color: red"><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'">jo barahmanday so-ee pinday jo khojai so paavai.</span></span></span></em></p> <p style="text-align: center"><span style="color: red"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'">(SGGS, Dhanaasaree, Peepa, p 695)</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><span style="font-size: 12px">i.e. Whatever pervades the Universe also dwells in the body; whoever seeks it, finds it there.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><span style="font-size: 12px">Thus one sees that one’s life is not just present in one’s own body but is also interrelated to all that is in the Universe. Guru Teg Bahadur proclaims this in his hymn;</span></span> </p><p style="text-align: center"><em><span style="color: red"><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'">paaNch tat ko tan rachi-o jaanhu chatur sujaan.</span></span></span></em></p> <p style="text-align: center"><em><span style="color: red"><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'">jih tay upji-o naankaa leen taahi mai maan. ||11||</span></span></span></em></p> <p style="text-align: center"><span style="color: red"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'">(SGGS, Salok Mehlaa 9, p 1427)</span></span></p> <p style="text-align: left"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><span style="font-size: 12px">i.e. Your body is made up of the five elements; you are clever and wise - know this well. Believe it - you shall merge once again into the One, O Nanak, from whom you originated. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><span style="font-size: 12px">Such a view helps one to transcend the erroneous view that one is just one’s body. Some scholars refer to the sun as our second heart, a heart that lies outside our body. But which is as essential for our body as the heart inside our body. When the heart inside the body ceases to function, we know very well that we will die, but we often forget that if the heart outside our body, the sun, ceases to function, we will also die immediately. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'">When we observe mindfully the interdependent nature of our body, we see our life outside our body and we transcend the boundary between self and non-self. This practice of observing mindfully helps us go beyond such limiting concepts as birth and death. It is one of the principal ways to witness the non-self, unborn, and never-dying nature of all that is. Seeing things in this way can liberate and awaken us. </span></span></p><p> </p><p><strong><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><span style="font-size: 18px">Global Interdependence </span></span></strong></p><p><span style="font-size: 18px"></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 18px"></span><span style="font-family: 'AnmolKalmi'">As everything depends on everything else, so a human being's existence in any given moment is dependent on the condition of everything else in the world at that moment. But in an equally significant way, the condition of everything in the world in that moment depends conversely on the character and condition of that human being. Everything in the Universe is interconnected through the web of cause and effect such that the whole and the parts are mutually interdependent. The character and condition of entities at any given time are intimately connected with the character and condition of all other entities that superficially may appear to be unconnected or unrelated.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="font-family: 'WebAkharThick'">As is obvious, we are the earth, through the plants and animals that nourish us. We are the rains and the oceans that flow through our veins. We are the breath of the forests of the land, and the plants of the sea. We are human animals, related to all other life as descendants of the firstborn cell. We share with these kin a common history, written in our genes. We share a common present, filled with uncertainty. And we share a common future, as yet untold. We humans are only one of thirty million</span> species weaving the thin layer of life enveloping the world. The stability of communities of living things depends upon this diversity. Linked in that web, we are interconnected -- using, cleansing, sharing and replenishing the fundamental elements of life.</span></span></p><p> </p><p><strong><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><span style="font-size: 18px">Interdependence Sustainability - A Cause for Concern </span></span></strong></p><p><span style="font-size: 18px"></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 18px"></span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><span style="font-size: 12px">Our home, planet Earth, is finite; all life shares its resources and the energy from the sun, and therefore has limits to growth. For the first time, we have touched those limits. When we compromise the air, the water, the soil and the variety of life, we steal from the endless future to serve the fleeting present.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><span style="font-size: 12px">Humans have become so numerous and our tools so powerful that we have driven fellow creatures to extinction, dammed the great rivers, torn down ancient forests, poisoned the earth, rain and wind, and ripped holes in the sky. The suffering of millions pays for our comfort. In such an abnormal ecological situation, life on earth is facing a serious challenge for its survival. Baba Fareed makes us aware of the perils of such a situation in his hymn; </span></span></p><p style="text-align: center"><em><span style="color: red"><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'">kanDhee utai rukh-rhaa kichrak bannai Dheer</span></span></span></em></p> <p style="text-align: center"><em><span style="color: red"><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'">fareedaa kachai bhaaNdai rakhee-ai kichar taa-ee neer. ||96||</span></span></span></em></p> <p style="text-align: center"><span style="color: red"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'">(SGGS, Salok Saykh Fareed Kay, p 1382)</span></span></p> <p style="text-align: left"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><span style="font-size: 12px">i.e. How long can the tree remain implanted on the river-bank? Fareed, how long can water be kept in a soft clay pot? </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><span style="font-size: 12px">We have to learn from our mistakes, we must mourn our vanished kin, and we should now build a new realm of peaceful co-existence. We must respect and uphold the absolute need for clean air, water and soil. We have to understand that economic activities that benefit a few while shrinking the inheritance of many are wrong.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><span style="font-size: 12px">Since environmental degradation erodes many natural resources forever, full ecological and social cost must enter all equations of development. We must be aware that we are one brief generation in the long march of time; the future is not ours to erase. So where knowledge is limited, we must remember all those who will walk after us, and err on the side of caution. All this must now become the foundation of the way we live.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><span style="font-size: 12px">At this turning point in our relationship with Earth, we must work for an evolution: from dominance to partnership; from fragmentation to connection; from insecurity, to interdependence. Baba Fareed points out that if we are aware of the causes and perils of ecological crisis, and are taking suitable steps to contain it, we shall be able to tide over the situation brilliantly.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: center"><em><span style="color: red"><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'">lammee lammee nadee vahai kanDhee kayrai hayt.</span></span></span></em></p> <p style="text-align: center"><em><span style="color: red"><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'">bayrhay no kapar ki-aa karay jay paatan rahai suchayt. ||86||</span></span></span></em></p> <p style="text-align: center"><span style="color: red"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'">(SGGS, Salok Saykh Fareed kay, p1382)</span></span></p> <p style="text-align: left"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><span style="font-size: 12px">i.e. The river flows on and on; it loves to eat into its banks. What can the whirlpool do to the boat, if the boatman remains alert?</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><span style="font-size: 12px">Thus, it is important that we must be aware of our precise role in the Nature’s plan of things and play it in a responsible way so that the interdependence of things is sustained and nurtured.</span></span></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Dr. D. P. Singh, post: 110112, member: 2479"] [CENTER][B][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=5]INTERDEPENDENCE OF THINGS - A GURBANI PERSPECTIVE[/SIZE][/FONT][/B][/CENTER] [CENTER][B][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Dr. D. P. Singh[/SIZE][/FONT][/B][/CENTER] [SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]Any two things, living or non-living, countries or nations that cooperate with each other are said to be interdependent or [COLOR=#333333]mutually dependent.[/COLOR] Interdependence can also be defined as interconnectedness and reliance on one another socially, economically, environmentally and politically. It is a dynamic of being mutually and physically responsible to and sharing a common set of principles with others[/FONT][/SIZE] [FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Some people advocate independence[/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3] as a sort of ultimate good; others do the same with devotion to one's family, Community, or[/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3] society[/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]. Interdependence recognizes the truth in each position and weaves them together. Sri Guru Granth Sahib, the holy scriputre of the Sikhs, emphasises the importance of interdependence of all things. It stresses that perserving the natural state of things is a sine-qua-none for the sustainability of life [/SIZE][/FONT][SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]on earth. [/FONT][/SIZE] [B][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=5]Interdependence in Nature[/SIZE][/FONT][/B] [FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]In our daily life, we are inclined to perceive things as real and independent of each other. Take for example, a leaf, which we see on the branch in front of us. We may think that this leaf exists independently of all the other leaves, independently of the branch, the trunk, and the root of the tree, independently of the clouds, the water, the earth, and the sky. In truth, this leaf could not be here without the presence of all the other things, which we see as different from it. The leaf is one with the other leaves, the branch, the trunk, and the roots of the tree; with the clouds, the river, the earth, the sky and the sunlight. If anyone of these things were not present, the leaf could not be. [/SIZE][/FONT] [SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]If we look deeply into the leaf, we can see the presence of all these things. The leaf and these things are present together. This is the principle of interbeing and interpenetration, the principle of one is all and all is one. This principle of interdependent origination tells us that things do not exist outside of each other. Things exist within each other and with each other. Guru Nanak proclaims the principle of interdependent origination in his composition ‘Japu’ as [/FONT][/SIZE] [CENTER][I][COLOR=red][SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]Pavan guru paani pita Maata dharat mahat.[/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR][/I] [I][COLOR=red][SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]Divas raat do-e daaee daa-ia Khelai sagal jagat.[/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR][/I] [COLOR=red][FONT=Times New Roman](SGGS, Japu, Shalok, p 8)[/FONT][/COLOR] [/CENTER] [FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]i.e. Air is vital force, Water the progenitor, the vast Earth is the mother of all, Days and Nights are nurses, fondling all creation in their lap.[/SIZE][/FONT] [FONT=Times New Roman]In Sri Guru Granth Sahib, all the elements of material world are seen no more as external to each other, but being involved in inter-dependent relationship, reciprocally conditioning the life of each other. Guru Nanak emphasises this kind of inter-dependent relationship in his hymn;[/FONT] [CENTER][I][COLOR=red][SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]Jo antar so baahar daykhhu avar na doojaa ko-ee jee-o.[/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR][/I] [I][COLOR=red][SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]gurmukh ayk darisat kar daykhhu ghat ghat jot samo-ee jee-o.[/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR][/I] [COLOR=red][FONT=Times New Roman](SGGS, Sorath Mehlaa 1, p 599)[/FONT][/COLOR][/CENTER] [FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]i.e. Whatever is within, same is outside. See that there is nothing else. By divine prompting look upon all existence as one and undifferentiated; the same light penetrates all existence.[/SIZE][/FONT] [B][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=5]Interdependence of Body and Universe[/SIZE][/FONT][/B] [SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]All phenomena in the Universe need to be observed in the light of interdependence. Let us take the case of a human body. There is an interrelationship between our body and all that is in the Universe. We should be aware of the presence of earth, water, fire, air and space elements in our body. These are the Five Great Elements, also referred to as the realms. The earth represents the hard, solid nature of matter. The water element represents the liquid, permeating nature. The fire element represents heat, and the air element represents movement. The[COLOR=black] space represents [/COLOR]the unlimited expanse, in which everything exists[COLOR=black],[/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE] [FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Our bodies are more than three-fourth water. When we look deeply in order to see the water in our body, not only does we see the liquid, permeating nature of the blood, sweat, saliva, tears and urine, but we also see the water element in every cell of our body. We see earth in us, earth as the minerals in our body. We also see that earth is alive in us because, thanks to Mother Earth, we have food to eat. Without air we could not survive, since we, as every other species on Earth, need air to live. Fire in our body is energy with which we do our daily chores. Our body exist in space and contains it as well. In it, there is space for inhaling air, space for intake of food and drinks, space for the flow of blood and other liquids. Above all, all the cells of body also contain a lot of empty space. Thus one can see interrelated nature of oneself and the universe. In Sri Guru Granth Sahib, Bhagat Peepa Ji articulates about this interrelationship as; [/SIZE][/FONT] [CENTER][I][COLOR=red][SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]jo barahmanday so-ee pinday jo khojai so paavai.[/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR][/I] [COLOR=red][FONT=Times New Roman](SGGS, Dhanaasaree, Peepa, p 695)[/FONT][/COLOR][/CENTER] [FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]i.e. Whatever pervades the Universe also dwells in the body; whoever seeks it, finds it there.[/SIZE][/FONT] [FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Thus one sees that one’s life is not just present in one’s own body but is also interrelated to all that is in the Universe. Guru Teg Bahadur proclaims this in his hymn;[/SIZE][/FONT] [CENTER][I][COLOR=red][SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]paaNch tat ko tan rachi-o jaanhu chatur sujaan.[/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR][/I] [I][COLOR=red][SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]jih tay upji-o naankaa leen taahi mai maan. ||11||[/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR][/I] [COLOR=red][FONT=Times New Roman](SGGS, Salok Mehlaa 9, p 1427)[/FONT][/COLOR][/CENTER] [LEFT][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]i.e. Your body is made up of the five elements; you are clever and wise - know this well. Believe it - you shall merge once again into the One, O Nanak, from whom you originated. [/SIZE][/FONT][/LEFT] [FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Such a view helps one to transcend the erroneous view that one is just one’s body. Some scholars refer to the sun as our second heart, a heart that lies outside our body. But which is as essential for our body as the heart inside our body. When the heart inside the body ceases to function, we know very well that we will die, but we often forget that if the heart outside our body, the sun, ceases to function, we will also die immediately. [/SIZE][/FONT] [SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]When we observe mindfully the interdependent nature of our body, we see our life outside our body and we transcend the boundary between self and non-self. This practice of observing mindfully helps us go beyond such limiting concepts as birth and death. It is one of the principal ways to witness the non-self, unborn, and never-dying nature of all that is. Seeing things in this way can liberate and awaken us. [/FONT][/SIZE] [B][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=5]Global Interdependence [/SIZE][/FONT][/B] [SIZE=5] [/SIZE][FONT=AnmolKalmi]As everything depends on everything else, so a human being's existence in any given moment is dependent on the condition of everything else in the world at that moment. But in an equally significant way, the condition of everything in the world in that moment depends conversely on the character and condition of that human being. Everything in the Universe is interconnected through the web of cause and effect such that the whole and the parts are mutually interdependent. The character and condition of entities at any given time are intimately connected with the character and condition of all other entities that superficially may appear to be unconnected or unrelated.[/FONT] [FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3][FONT=WebAkharThick]As is obvious, we are the earth, through the plants and animals that nourish us. We are the rains and the oceans that flow through our veins. We are the breath of the forests of the land, and the plants of the sea. We are human animals, related to all other life as descendants of the firstborn cell. We share with these kin a common history, written in our genes. We share a common present, filled with uncertainty. And we share a common future, as yet untold. We humans are only one of thirty million[/FONT] species weaving the thin layer of life enveloping the world. The stability of communities of living things depends upon this diversity. Linked in that web, we are interconnected -- using, cleansing, sharing and replenishing the fundamental elements of life.[/SIZE][/FONT] [B][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=5]Interdependence Sustainability - A Cause for Concern [/SIZE][/FONT][/B] [SIZE=5] [/SIZE][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Our home, planet Earth, is finite; all life shares its resources and the energy from the sun, and therefore has limits to growth. For the first time, we have touched those limits. When we compromise the air, the water, the soil and the variety of life, we steal from the endless future to serve the fleeting present.[/SIZE][/FONT] [FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Humans have become so numerous and our tools so powerful that we have driven fellow creatures to extinction, dammed the great rivers, torn down ancient forests, poisoned the earth, rain and wind, and ripped holes in the sky. The suffering of millions pays for our comfort. In such an abnormal ecological situation, life on earth is facing a serious challenge for its survival. Baba Fareed makes us aware of the perils of such a situation in his hymn; [/SIZE][/FONT] [CENTER][I][COLOR=red][SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]kanDhee utai rukh-rhaa kichrak bannai Dheer[/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR][/I] [I][COLOR=red][SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]fareedaa kachai bhaaNdai rakhee-ai kichar taa-ee neer. ||96||[/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR][/I] [COLOR=red][FONT=Times New Roman](SGGS, Salok Saykh Fareed Kay, p 1382)[/FONT][/COLOR][/CENTER] [LEFT][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]i.e. How long can the tree remain implanted on the river-bank? Fareed, how long can water be kept in a soft clay pot? [/SIZE][/FONT][/LEFT] [FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]We have to learn from our mistakes, we must mourn our vanished kin, and we should now build a new realm of peaceful co-existence. We must respect and uphold the absolute need for clean air, water and soil. We have to understand that economic activities that benefit a few while shrinking the inheritance of many are wrong.[/SIZE][/FONT] [FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Since environmental degradation erodes many natural resources forever, full ecological and social cost must enter all equations of development. We must be aware that we are one brief generation in the long march of time; the future is not ours to erase. So where knowledge is limited, we must remember all those who will walk after us, and err on the side of caution. All this must now become the foundation of the way we live.[/SIZE][/FONT] [FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]At this turning point in our relationship with Earth, we must work for an evolution: from dominance to partnership; from fragmentation to connection; from insecurity, to interdependence. Baba Fareed points out that if we are aware of the causes and perils of ecological crisis, and are taking suitable steps to contain it, we shall be able to tide over the situation brilliantly.[/SIZE][/FONT] [CENTER][I][COLOR=red][SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]lammee lammee nadee vahai kanDhee kayrai hayt.[/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR][/I] [I][COLOR=red][SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]bayrhay no kapar ki-aa karay jay paatan rahai suchayt. ||86||[/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR][/I] [COLOR=red][FONT=Times New Roman](SGGS, Salok Saykh Fareed kay, p1382)[/FONT][/COLOR][/CENTER] [LEFT][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]i.e. The river flows on and on; it loves to eat into its banks. What can the whirlpool do to the boat, if the boatman remains alert?[/SIZE][/FONT][/LEFT] [FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Thus, it is important that we must be aware of our precise role in the Nature’s plan of things and play it in a responsible way so that the interdependence of things is sustained and nurtured.[/SIZE][/FONT] [/QUOTE]
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