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Pati Thore Malini | ਪਾਤੀ ਤੋਰੈ ਮਾਲਿਨੀ ਪਾਤੀ ਪਾਤੀ ਜੀਉ

findingmyway

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This is one of my favourite shabads. Very simple but truly packs a punch with its message. Unfortunately it is not widely known. As previously English literal meanings first, Rawel Singh's interpretation underneath (blue) each couplet followed by my personal interpretation (green). As always comments welcome whether agreeing or disagreeing or discussing the issues raised further!


Ang 479
ਆਸਾ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਕਬੀਰ ਜੀਉ ਕੇ ਪੰਚਪਦੇ ੯ ਦੁਤੁਕੇ ੫
Aasaa, Kabeer Jee, 9 Panch-Padas, 5 Du-Tukas:

Baani of (sri jio) revered Bhagat Kabir in Raag Aasa; 9 compositions (panch-pad-e) of five stanzas each; 5 (dutuk-e) stanzas of two verses each.


ੴ ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਪ੍ਰਸਾਦਿ ॥ Ik Oankaar Sathigur Prasaadh ||
One Universal Creator God. By The Grace Of The True Guru:

Invoking the One all-pervasive Creator who may be known with the true guru’s grace.


ਪਾਤੀ ਤੋਰੈ ਮਾਲਿਨੀ ਪਾਤੀ ਪਾਤੀ ਜੀਉ ॥ Paathee Thorai Maalinee Paathee Paathee Jeeo ||
You tear off the leaves, O gardener, but in each and every leaf, there is life.

ਜਿਸੁ ਪਾਹਨ ਕਉ ਪਾਤੀ ਤੋਰੈ ਸੋ ਪਾਹਨ ਨਿਰਜੀਉ ॥੧॥ Jis Paahan Ko Paathee Thorai So Paahan Nirajeeo ||1||
That stone idol, for which you tear off those leaves - that stone idol is lifeless. ||1||

(Maalini) the she-gardener (torai) plucks (paati) leaves of plants for idol-worship, but (paati paati) every leaf has (jio) life in it.
On the other hand (paahan) the stone idol (kau) for (jis-u) whose worship she (torai) plucks the leaves, (so) that (paahan) stone idol is (nirjio) life-less. 1.

flower.jpg


The gardener breaks off leaves from the tree/plant but doesn’t realise each leaf contains life. BUT, the stone statue for which the gardener breaks the leaf is completely lifeless stone!!



ਭੂਲੀ ਮਾਲਨੀ ਹੈ ਏਉ ॥ Bhoolee Maalanee Hai Eaeo ||
In this, you are mistaken, O gardener.

ਸਤਿਗੁਰੁ ਜਾਗਤਾ ਹੈ ਦੇਉ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥ Sathigur Jaagathaa Hai Dhaeo ||1|| Rehaao ||
The True Guru is the Living Lord. ||1||Pause||

(E-eo) this way the she-gardener is (bhooli) deluded to worship the life-less idol.
The Almighty (satgur-u) True Guru, (de-eo = light source) the source of all life, (jaagta = awake) has life – and alone should be worshipped. 1. (Rahaau) dwell on this and contemplate.


Through the seva of a lifeless stone idol, the gardener forgets the true living God is Satguru Akaal Purakh. Reflect on this.



ਬ੍ਰਹਮੁ ਪਾਤੀ ਬਿਸਨੁ ਡਾਰੀ ਫੂਲ ਸੰਕਰਦੇਉ ॥Breham Paathee Bisan Ddaaree Fool Sankaradhaeo ||
Brahma is in the leaves, Vishnu is in the branches, and Shiva is in the flowers.

ਤੀਨਿ ਦੇਵ ਪ੍ਰਤਖਿ ਤੋਰਹਿ ਕਰਹਿ ਕਿਸ ਕੀ ਸੇਉ ॥੨॥ Theen Dhaev Prathakh Thorehi Karehi Kis Kee Saeo ||2||
When you break these three gods, whose service are you performing? ||2||

In a plant (paati) the leaves represent Brahma, (ddaari/ddaali) the branches represent (bisan-u) Vishnu and (phool) the flowers represent (sankar de-au) the god Shankar, i.e. a plant represents the Trinity of Hindu belief.
O she-gardener, you (torah-i = break) kill (teen-i) the three (dev) gods (prtakh-i = directly) in manifest form, then (kis ki) whose (se-eo = service) worship do you (karah-i) perform? 2.


Dear Gardener ji, the leaves represent Brahma, the branches represent Vishnu and the flowers represent Shiva. The plant is the most wonderful idol of the Hindu trinity of belief. When you break these 3 Gods apart, you are destroying them so whose seva are you actually doing?!

handgrn.gif


ਪਾਖਾਨ ਗਢਿ ਕੈ ਮੂਰਤਿ ਕੀਨ੍ਹ੍ਹੀ ਦੇ ਕੈ ਛਾਤੀ ਪਾਉ ॥ Paakhaan Gadt Kai Moorath Keenhee Dhae Kai Shhaathee Paao ||
The sculptor carves the stone and fashions it into an idol, placing his feet upon its chest.

ਜੇ ਏਹ ਮੂਰਤਿ ਸਾਚੀ ਹੈ ਤਉ ਗੜ੍ਹਣਹਾਰੇ ਖਾਉ ॥੩॥ Jae Eaeh Moorath Saachee Hai Tho Garrhanehaarae Khaao ||3||
If this stone god was true, it would devour the sculptor for this! ||3||

(Moorat-i) an idol (keeni) is made by (gaddh-i kai) sculpting (paakhaan) a stone, with the sculptor (d-e kai) putting his (paau) foot on (chhaati) the chest of the idol.
(J-e) if (eh) this idol is (saachi) truly of a god, (tau) then it should (khau = eat) punish (garrhanhaar-e) the sculptor – for being disrespectful. 3.


When the sculptor fashioned the idol out of stone, he would have had to put his feet on the chest of the idol during the process of making it. If the statue had truly been alive and a ‘God’, it would have eaten the sculptor for such disrespect.



ਭਾਤੁ ਪਹਿਤਿ ਅਰੁ ਲਾਪਸੀ ਕਰਕਰਾ ਕਾਸਾਰੁ ॥ Bhaath Pehith Ar Laapasee Karakaraa Kaasaar ||
Rice and beans, candies, cakes and cookies

ਭੋਗਨਹਾਰੇ ਭੋਗਿਆ ਇਸੁ ਮੂਰਤਿ ਕੇ ਮੁਖ ਛਾਰੁ ॥੪॥ Bhoganehaarae Bhogiaa Eis Moorath Kae Mukh Shhaar ||4||
- the priest enjoys these, while he puts ashes into the mouth of the idol. ||4||

The devotees offer (bhaat-u) rice, (pahit-i) lentils (laapsi) pudding (ar-u) and (kakara kaasaar-u) other tasty food items – for the deity whose idol is installed.
But (bhoganhaar-e) those who can eat, i.e. the priests, (bhogia) eat them and (chhaar-u = dust) nothing goes into the mouth of the idol, i.e. the idol being lifeless cannot eat – it is for the benefit of the priests, not the Deity. 4.


Rice, lentils, sweet dishes and other rich food is offered to these stone idols. The one to enjoy the offerings is the priest who eats them all. The idol doesn’t eat anything as it without life so unable to eat anything placed in its mouth.



ਮਾਲਿਨਿ ਭੂਲੀ ਜਗੁ ਭੁਲਾਨਾ ਹਮ ਭੁਲਾਨੇ ਨਾਹਿ ॥ Maalin Bhoolee Jag Bhulaanaa Ham Bhulaanae Naahi ||
The gardener is mistaken, and the world is mistaken, but I am not mistaken.

ਕਹੁ ਕਬੀਰ ਹਮ ਰਾਮ ਰਾਖੇ ਕ੍ਰਿਪਾ ਕਰਿ ਹਰਿ ਰਾਇ ॥੫॥੧॥੧੪॥ Kahu Kabeer Ham Raam Raakhae Kirapaa Kar Har Raae ||5||1||14||
Says Kabeer, the Lord preserves me; the Lord, my King, has showered His Blessings upon me. ||5||1||14||

(Maalin-i) the she-gardener is (bhooli) deluded and so is an ignorant (jag-u) person but (ham) I am not deluded.
(Raam) the all pervasive (har-i rai) Sovereign Master (kripa kar-i) has been kind to (raakh-e) protect me from this, says Kabir. 5. 1. 14.


The gardener who worships the idol lives with an illusion. Society is also eating this misconception but I am not mistaken. Say Kabeer, Akaal Puraakh has blessed me with understanding so I also do not fall under the trap of the illusion.



On a basic level this shabad is a clear instruction against idol worship. This applies not just to Hindus, but as Sikhs how much idol worship have we included in our lives too? Everytime you dont' know what to do about a picture or statue, remember this shabad.

On another level I also wonder whether its a comment on how we treat nature versus lifeless possessions. We happily desecrate nature in favour of material possessions and superstitions, whether that be killing a flower to serve a stone idol or murder of elephants for ivory or destruction of the rainforest for a smart dining table and a million other examples.
 

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findingmyway ji

What I truly appreciate, now that we are 3 shabads deep in Shabad of the Week, is the way you have been able to communicate the moral and ethical meanings of ShabadGuru. Too, too often the pattern of translation and interpretation tends to draw attention to spiritual matters that are distant goals requiring strenuous effort. As if making the strenuous effort erases the hard fact that we cultivate the gardens of our lives at home, at work and in sangat. These bring hard choices, and such choices use up the time and energy we have to seek perfection.

You make it so clear from the shabad that the goal is to be rational and to use reason to to achieve goodness in the humble gardens that are our lives. In this shabad we see that so many things we do are futile, self-deluded, even harmful to ourselves, others and creation. Yes the shabad is a wake-up call, not a call to go into sehaj and ignore the ethical wholeness that we and our world can become. Such a goal is hard enough, and it is also worthy enough.
 
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Thank you for your splendid commentary Finding :mundahug: It is sometimes wonderful to read penetrating explanations from a wise mind, of verses (tuks) that might at first seem somewhat deep and unintelligible. Ambarsaria ji also has a rare knack for doing this. He created a series of threads on different shabads. My favourite were his commentaries on the verses of Baba Farid ji. There was some very profound insights into the fleeting, impermanent nature of life and the inevitability of death, yet how one should rejoice in what life one is given.

Keep it up.
 

findingmyway

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Thank you for your comments ji. I enjoy writing these threads as its helps me in my learning to be a better person and my Sikhi journey. It makes even more wonderful to know others are also reading and contemplating too :meditatingkaur::meditatingsingh:

Gurbani is spiritual but it is also very pragmatic and meant to applied to our daily life. We cannot follow Gurbani unless we also attempt to understand how it can be applied to our own lives!

I have been thinking about this shabad some more, esp while driving down country lanes through fields to see my friends. I think the fact the shabad is mainly about the gardener and not just the devotees who buy flowers and use them is very pertinent as it stresses the fact we should all be gardeners, tending to our environment. It also stresses that we should not merely be going through the motions of our jobs but actually thinking about what is right and wrong, what makes sense and what doesn't.

I was also thinking about rituals. I mentioned idols and pictures but that is too narrow. We matha tek to SGGS to declare to Guruji that we are ready to learn, we offer our heads. This is important for learning and makes sense, like greeting your teacher so I do not class it as ritual. However, people matha tek to the manji where SGGS will be placed at night and to the Nishan outside. These do not make sense so are they not rituals? Burning hair that falls out from your head is a ritual. Washing the Gurdwara in milk rather than water is a harmful ritual. So many examples...................:seriouskudi:
 

Ambarsaria

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I note the following essence from this shabad,

<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:punctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:UseFELayout/> </w:Compatibility> <w:DoNotOptimizeForBrowser/> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]-->
  • You don’t destroy life to appease God or creator.

  • First line to break leaves away to falsely look and celebrate life in a stone while the object creator is all alive without the stone
    • A clear comment on Hinduism practices
  • It probably also indirectly pokes at Halal or sacrificial meats as life is taken away in the name of appeasing the creator or God.
  • There is nothing sacred about any stones or idols carved.
  • The offerings made under the assumption that such idol has power are baseless. The offerings are simply consumed by the caretaker or priest and of no consequence vis-à-vis the creator.
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]-->So Kabir ji does not mince any words in ridiculing offerings to deities, sacrificing living elements to appease a living God in any form.
Important is to recognize God/creator in all and everywhere and so does not need appeasement or bribing. Importance is to seek wisdom of the creator's ways and creation so to live.

Sat Sri Akal.
 

Tejwant Singh

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I note the following essence from this shabad,

<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:punctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:UseFELayout/> </w:Compatibility> <w:DoNotOptimizeForBrowser/> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]-->
  • You don’t destroy life to appease God or creator.

  • First line to break leaves away to falsely look and celebrate life in a stone while the object creator is all alive without the stone
    • A clear comment on Hinduism practices
  • It probably also indirectly pokes at Halal or sacrificial meats as life is taken away in the name of appeasing the creator or God.
  • There is nothing sacred about any stones or idols carved.
  • The offerings made under the assumption that such idol has power are baseless. The offerings are simply consumed by the caretaker or priest and of no consequence vis-à-vis the creator.
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]-->So Kabir ji does not mince any words in ridiculing offerings to deities, sacrificing living elements to appease a living God in any form.
Important is to recognize God/creator in all and everywhere and so does not need appeasement or bribing. Importance is to seek wisdom of the creator's ways and creation so to live.

Sat Sri Akal.

Ambarsaria ji,

Thank you for reading my mind.
 

ravneet_sb

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Sat Sri Akaal,

Plant has seeds for initiation of new life As brahma or initiator of event. Which brings ONE as new evolved life.

Vishnu As sustained of life

Shiv as Flower which has to die.

Stone has no such event.

Life operative is evolved and inherited for next life.

Which sustains life during operational life and flowers next life before death.

Message is Serve Life not Dead Objects. By serving dead we loose purpose of life and Connection to TRUTH.

Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa
Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh.

Waheguru Ji Ka Khals

Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa
Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh
 

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