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Sukhmani Sahib: 10th Ashtapadee: 6th Pauri: My Understanding

Amarpal

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Dear Khalsa Ji,


With the grace of ‘The Sat’, today I share my understanding of 6th Pauri of 10thAshtapadee of Sukhmani Sahib with you.


Please note that the English sentence after the Transliteration is not the exact literal translation of the text of the Tuk of Siri Guru Granth Sahib under reference, it is the meaning of the Tuk as understood by me.

First the Summary: In this Pauri Guru Sahib tells us the different ways individuals use to reach ‘The Sat’ and summarize the truth of them for us.


1. keI koit Bey bYrwgI ] ka-ee kot bha-ay bairaagee.
[/FONT]Numerous individuals become ‘Bairaagees’.[/FONT]

My understanding:


As I understand the term ‘Bairaagee’, it means non attachment with the worldly entities while living one’s life in the world. It is not negation of life; it is not running away from world; it is only non-attachment to it. To me it does not signify as non-involvement with life as it will then mean negation of our mission of life; it only means non-attachment to what it does. To me it signifies total involvement of the individual in the task (dharma) as long as it is not completed, but with no attachment to it once the task is accomplished. This way, to me even and householder can be a Bairaagee. Such person can perform its duties (Dharma) with full involvement and yet remain unattached to it


Through Bairaag they shed desires and live a life of austerity that has the potential to lead the person to purity of thought process, and thus the speech and actions. Such pure individual can do no harm to any aspect of the creation of ‘The Sat’.


2. rwm nwm sMig iqin ilv lwgI ] raam naam sang tin liv laagee.
[/FONT]Such individuals remain linked to ‘The Sat’.[/FONT]

My understanding:


Before I go to this Tuk proper, I share with you what the term ‘Naam’ means to me.


To me the words ‘Waheguru’ and ‘Satnaam’ are verbal symbols which direct our mental attention towards the idea of the ‘Formless Almighty Supreme’. These can be learnt by any one; in fact all of us are familiar with these words. Yet, in our daily prayers we plead to ‘The Sat’ to grant us the Gift of ‘Naam’. We seek ‘Naam Daan’ in our Ardas. Hence it is clear to me that ‘Naam’ is more than the term or words used for Jaap viz Satnaam and Waheguru.


So what Naam means to me? I must answer.


Sikhi, as enshrined in Siri Guru Granth Sahib, guides us as to how to live this life and evolve spiritually. It is full of teachings from Guru Sahibs who had realized and experienced ‘The Sat’. What they taught us came from their personal knowledge gained through this experience of ‘The Sat’.
These teachings are spread out in different pages of Siri Guru Granth Sahib. They are divided and scattered in this way so that we can understand and assimilate them one at a time. As we assimilate one of these teachings we learn an element of Sikhi, it becomes part of our being i.e. our intrinsic self. Progressively, with time, we accumulate all these elements of teaching of siri Guru Granth Sahib, assimilate them in our being, and having learnt these, we live our lives in accordance with these learning. Yet, these assimilated learning are disjointed since we learnt them in different time space and different level of evolution.


Though, at this stage, the teachings from Siri Guru Granth Sahib are part of our being they are still scattered as the elements of individual teachings which were progressively assimilated in the brain. Now when we contemplate (the process of Manan) over these acquired elements of learning they start merging into one another creating much deeper and evolved level of learning; this process continues and ultimately all merge into one single understanding. This one, I understand to be ‘Naam’. From ‘Naam’, the all the detailed elements of understanding emanates.


The process of synthesis, condensation or merging of individual elements of teachings of Siri Guru Granth Sahib takes place in the brain of the individual. This process, unless blessed, guided and assisted by ‘The Sat’ cannot take place as it is extra earthly exercise, for which, our mental faculties and systems are not pre-programmed, that is why we seek ‘Naam Daan’; it happens only through ‘Gurparsadee’. Having been blessed with ‘Naam’ the individual moves closer to ‘The Sat’.


With ‘Naam’ enshrined in the being of the individual, all its thoughts, speech and actions stem from it i.e. ‘Naam’. These three elements - thoughts, speech and actions get fully harmonized and thus the life of the individual becomes godly. Such a person becomes an instrument of ‘The Sat’ and consequently remains linked with it.


This is what Guru Sahib is conveying to us through this Tuk.


3. keI koit pRB kau KojMqy ] ka-ee kot parabh ka-o khojantay.
[/FONT]Numerous individuals search ‘The Sat’.
4. Awqm mih pwrbRhmu lhMqy ] aatam meh paarbarahm lahantay.
[/FONT]Within their self they find ‘The Sat’[/FONT]
[/FONT]
My understanding:


Guru Sahib tells us that many individual searches for ‘The Sat’. In the context of this Tuk, search implies that they try to locate ‘The Sat’ outside, at some place. In the second Tuk Guru Sahib tells us that the seekers find ‘The Sat’ within their own intrinsic self. ‘The Sat’, as I understand is in every entity of the creation. The entire creation is sustained by ‘The Sat’. The Sat’ never departs; is always with the individual.


5. keI koit drsn pRB ipAws ] ka-ee kot darsan parabh pi-aas.
[/FONT]Numerous individuals have intense thirst to merge with ‘The Sat’.
6. iqn kau imilE pRBu Aibnws ] t[/FONT]in ka-o mili-o parabh abinaas.
[/FONT]Such individuals unite with ‘The Sat’ who is eternal.[/FONT]

My understanding:


Guru Sahib in this Tuk tells us that effort is needed to evolve to the spiritual level where from the merger with ‘The Sat’ is feasible. Only those who put in such effort succeed in their aim.
I share with you my very personal concept that I have arrived at as to how keenness leads to spiritual evolution and understanding that results from it


As I understand, ‘The Sat’ sends us to this world on a mission. We have to learn about our mission ourselves. The conscious part of the brain has no clue about the mission unless it is revealed to it. The mission is known to the deeper layers (unconscious part) of the brain which are all the time in communication with the cosmic entities. On their own, these deeper layers do not communicate with the conscious brain. Most of these deeper layers are on the other side of the Dasham Dwaar (the tenth opening) beyond the direct reach of the conscious brain and the passage between the two is gagged (it is something like highly throttled passage). Again it is my understanding that when the keenness of the effort is intense, a passage between the two gets formed through which these deeper layers of the brain communicate and help the conscious part of the brain, on whose command our Gyanendriyas and Karmendriyas function. This keenness, as I understand, is what Guru Sahib has said as piaas i.e. thirst in the above Tuk. As our keenness and resulting effort increase we are bless by ‘The Sat’ through these deeper layers of the brain, and as a result of the understanding that they provide, the functioning of our conscious part of the brain become purer and purer and the individual evolves spiritually. As we become more and more God like, in nature and being we ultimately reach its pinnacle, the Dasam Dwaar fully opens and we come to know all and become one with ‘The Sat’, divinity naturally dawns on such individual.


7. keI koit mwgih sqsMgu ] ka-ee kot maageh satsang.
[/FONT]Numerous individuals desire the company of true people.[/FONT]

My understanding:


As I understand, at birth, ‘The Sat’ places us in an environment that shapes our brain – capabilities and limitation – based on our past karma and the need of this mission. This takes place at and at age where environment and not the individual shape the brain of the child.


With this initial formatting of the brain, the child grows and modify the brain based on new learning that the life present to it; this way the environment continues to play role in this development.


Spiritually inclined individuals try to strengthen their environment for their further spiritual growth. They seek the company of spiritually evolved people. ‘Saadh’ means those individuals who have perfected themselves in some aspect of life; in the present context, it is metal and functional purity. These two attributes are steps for spiritual evolution.


Guru Sahib is telling us about this fact in the above Tuk.


8. pwrbRhm iqn lwgw rMgu ] paarbarahm tin laagaa rang.
[/FONT]These are the individuals who get soaked in the colours of ‘The Sat’.

My understanding:


The person who has received the blessing of ‘Naam’ from ‘The Sat’ is all the time thinking, speaking and acting in a god like manner. Such individual is all the time serving the creation of ‘The Sat’ and also helping it to evolve to the higher level. In a way it is ‘The Sat’ who acts through her/him.


9. ijn kau hoey Awip supRsMn ] jin ka-o ho-ay aap suparsan.
[/FONT]Those with whom ‘The Sat’ is pleased.
10.[/FONT] nwnk qy jn sdw Din DMin ]6] naanak tay jan sadaa Dhan Dhan. ||6||
[/FONT]O Nanak, such individuals are blessed, for all the time.[/FONT]
[/FONT]

My understanding:
It is my personal understanding that those persons who remain true to their mission of life while on earth are all the time listening to the voice that comes from very deep part of their being. This voice is from ‘The Sat’; they follow it.


This is what the blessing is, ‘The Sat’ is always with them to guide and enable them to reach their destination.


With this I close this post.


With Love and respect for all.


Amarpal Singh
 

Amarpal

Mentor
Writer
SPNer
Jun 11, 2004
591
366
79
India
When I open the folder of Sukmani Sahib, I do not find my post related to 5th and 6th Pauri of 10th Ashtapadee.

Please tell me in which folder they are placed.

Amarpal Singh
 
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