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Onkara
08 November 2009, 01:54 PM
The following is repeated many times in the Japji Sahib.

What does the following mean to you?

ਵਾਰਿਆ (http://www.srigranth.org/servlet/gurbani.dictionary?Param=ਵਾਰਿਆ)ਨ (http://www.srigranth.org/servlet/gurbani.dictionary?Param=ਨ)ਜਾਵਾ (http://www.srigranth.org/servlet/gurbani.dictionary?Param=ਜਾਵਾ)ਏਕ (http://www.srigranth.org/servlet/gurbani.dictionary?Param=ਏਕ)ਵਾਰ (http://www.srigranth.org/servlet/gurbani.dictionary?Param=ਵਾਰ)॥
वारिआ न जावा एक वार ॥
vāri▫ā na jāvā ek vār.
I cannot even once be a sacrifice to You.

Harjas Kaur
09 November 2009, 07:55 AM
ਅਸੰਖ ਸੂਰ ਮੁਹ ਭਖ ਸਾਰ ॥
asankh soor muh bhakh saar ||
Countless heroic spiritual warriors, who bear the brunt of the attack in battle (who with their mouths eat steel).

ਅਸੰਖ ਮੋਨਿ ਲਿਵ ਲਾਇ ਤਾਰ ॥
asankh mon liv laae thaar ||
Countless silent sages, vibrating the String of His Love.

ਕੁਦਰਤਿ ਕਵਣ ਕਹਾ ਵੀਚਾਰੁ ॥
kudharath kavan kehaa veechaar ||
How can Your Creative Potency be described?

ਵਾਰਿਆ ਨ ਜਾਵਾ ਏਕ ਵਾਰ ॥
vaariaa n jaavaa eaek vaar ||
I cannot even once be a sacrifice to You.

ਜੋ ਤੁਧੁ ਭਾਵੈ ਸਾਈ ਭਲੀ ਕਾਰ ॥
jo thudhh bhaavai saaee bhalee kaar ||
Whatever pleases You is the only good done,

ਤੂ ਸਦਾ ਸਲਾਮਤਿ ਨਿਰੰਕਾਰ ॥੧੭॥
thoo sadhaa salaamath nirankaar ||17||
You, Eternal and Formless One. ||17||
~SGGS Ji ang 4

So many heroic people in the world, but who can praise the God who is so beyond even our words? Who can sacrifice to the God who is so independent of need for us? Whatever we do, if there is blessing in it, is because of obeying the God's Will, and through no gift or sacrifice of our own.

It is in context of acknowledging total surrender to God who is so great that he doesn't need our greatness. Whatever is pleasing to the God, that obedience itself is the real sacrifice.
~Bhul chak maaf

Onkara
11 November 2009, 11:13 AM
So many heroic people in the world, but who can praise the God who is so beyond even our words? Who can sacrifice to the God who is so independent of need for us? Whatever we do, if there is blessing in it, is because of obeying the God's Will, and through no gift or sacrifice of our own.

It is in context of acknowledging total surrender to God who is so great that he doesn't need our greatness. Whatever is pleasing to the God, that obedience itself is the real sacrifice.
~Bhul chak maaf

Thank you Harjas Kaur ji
This line always pricks me when I hear it and your reply is useful.

From a non-dual perspective it feels similiar to "I am not a sacrifice because I am already a part of you" so "not a sacrifice" has the emphasis as one cannot be sacrificed if one is already a part of the One. I.e. I am beyond being an individual.

This rejection of individuality to Wahreguru interestingly enough arrives as the same conclusion of being merged in God's will. At one with the Naam.

I hope I am not being out of order discussing the Gurbani? What interests me is the possiblity of communication on both dual and non-dual levels simulataneously.

Harjas Kaur
11 November 2009, 03:08 PM
Discussions of Gurbani are always useful. As to non-dualism, you should bear in mind that the philosophy in Gurbani isn't Advaita. It is developed out of Vaishnav Bhakti school and more in line with Achintya Bhed Abheda, "inconceivable Oneness AND difference." Gurbani philosophy contains the Bhakti perspective of the Divine Beloved who is separate object of devotion as well as belief in merging into the All-pervading Oneness.

ਏਤੁ ਰਾਹਿ ਪਤਿ ਪਵੜੀਆ ਚੜੀਐ ਹੋਇ ਇਕੀਸ ॥
eaeth raahi path pavarreeaa charreeai hoe eikees ||
Along this path to our Husband Lord, we climb the steps of the ladder, and come to merge with Him.

ਸੁਣਿ ਗਲਾ ਆਕਾਸ ਕੀ ਕੀਟਾ ਆਈ ਰੀਸ ॥
sun galaa aakaas kee keettaa aaee rees ||
Hearing of the etheric realms, even worms long to come back home.
~SGGS Ji ang 7


From a non-dual perspective it feels similiar to "I am not a sacrifice because I am already a part of you" so "not a sacrifice" has the emphasis as one cannot be sacrificed if one is already a part of the One. I.e. I am beyond being an individual.Well, you have to keep it in context although some of that non-dual element is in Gurbani, you won't find it in Japji Sahib. So that's not the philosophy of the pauri.

ਵਾਰਿਆ ਨ ਜਾਵਾ ਏਕ ਵਾਰ ॥
vaariaa n jaavaa eaek vaar ||
I cannot even once be a sacrifice to You.

ਜੋ ਤੁਧੁ ਭਾਵੈ ਸਾਈ ਭਲੀ ਕਾਰ ॥
jo thudhh bhaavai saaee bhalee kaar ||
Whatever pleases You is the only good done,

ਤੂ ਸਦਾ ਸਲਾਮਤਿ ਨਿਰੰਕਾਰ ॥੧੭॥
thoo sadhaa salaamath nirankaar ||17||
You, Eternal and Formless One. ||17||
~SGGS Ji ang 4

Notice the tuuk has clearly designated God as an individual separate from the speaker who is praising His greatness. Nonetheless God is nirgun/undifferentiated as well as sargun/differentiated. See the Gurbani below:

ਨਿਰਗੁਨ ਹਰੀਆ ਸਰਗੁਨ ਧਰੀਆ ਅਨਿਕ ਕੋਠਰੀਆ ਭਿੰਨ ਭਿੰਨ ਭਿੰਨ ਭਿਨ ਕਰੀਆ ॥
niragun hareeaa saragun dhhareeaa anik kothareeaa bhinn bhinn bhinn bhin kareeaa ||
The Lord is absolute and unmanifest; He has assumed the most sublime manifestation. He has fashioned countless body chambers of many, varied, different, myriad forms.
~SGGS Ji ang 746

The Lord is both beyond individuality yet subsumed into individuality. We aren't already a part of the One, that's Advaita philosophy. Although, the One is existing as ourselves, the Jeev atma is very different from Paramatma, although in it's true nature it IS Paramatma. What is separating the individual Jeev from that which is beyond/Param? It is the shadows that hide the Divine Jyoth. Those shadows are our karmas, our vasanas, our evil inclinations: Kaam/lust, Krodh/anger, Lob/greed, Moh/clinging, Ahankar/pride.

While we are covered with dirt of egotism and evil tendencies, we do not reflect the Divine nature and cannot merge with it, so we are not yet liberated. Duality consciousness is existing in the condition that the perceivable materiality is passing away and finite and not the complete reality. And this is the basis of suffering/dukh. But we as individuals are definitely experiencing this life. But it will become like a dream and we will move on to our next life or until we become jeevan mukt.


ਘਰਿ ਹੋਦਾ ਪੁਰਖੁ ਨ ਪਛਾਣਿਆ ਅਭਿਮਾਨਿ ਮੁਠੇ ਅਹੰਕਾਰਿ ॥
ghar hodhaa purakh n pashhaaniaa abhimaan muthae ahankaar ||
The Primal Being is within their own home, but they do not recognize Him. They are plundered by their egotistical pride and arrogance.
~SGGS Ji ang 34

Harjas Kaur
11 November 2009, 04:43 PM
This rejection of individuality to Wahreguru interestingly enough arrives as the same conclusion of being merged in God's will. At one with the Naam.I think this isn't quite right. So let's have a look at it.

ਏਕਾ ਏਕੰਕਾਰੁ ਲਿਖਿ ਦੇਖਾਲਿਆ ।
aykaa aykankaaru|ikhi daykhaaliaa|
By writing 1 (One) in the beginning, it has been shown that Ekankar, God, who subsumes all forms in Him is only one (and not two or three).

ਊੜਾ ਓਅੰਕਾਰੁ ਪਾਸਿ ਬਹਾਲਿਆ ।
oorhaa aoankaaru paasi bahaaliaa|
Ura, the first Gurmukhi letter, in the form of Oankar shows the world controlling power of that one Lord.

ਸਤਿ ਨਾਮੁ ਕਰਤਾਰੁ ਨਿਰਭਉ ਭਾਲਿਆ ।
sati naamu karataaru nirabhau bhaaliaa|
That Lord has been understood as the True-Name, Creator and the Fearless One.

ਨਿਰਵੈਰਹੁ ਜੈਕਾਰੁ ਅਜੂਨਿ ਅਕਾਲਿਆ ।
niravairahu jaikaaru ajooni akaaliaa|
He is devoid of rancour, beyond time and free from the cycle of transmigration.
~Vaar 3 Pauri 15 of Vaaran Bhai Gurdas Ji

Ekam evadvitiyam
"He is One only without a second." ~Chandogya Upanishad 6:2:1

This is from Bhai Gurdas Ji's exposition on the mystical meaning of Mool Mantra in his vaars. The God, Waheguru is also Ekankar/Ekonkar/Ikoangkar, etc.

Ek On Kar. Means: One __ created. Tat Khalsa Singh Sabha translators keep telling us that ON, or Oang means... God. But in truth, On/Oang means nothing in any language in which Guru Granth Sahib is written. So what is the ON?

This messed up translation is used to make monotheism out of Gurmat/teachings of Guru. Ek/One, ON/God, Kar/Creator: One Creator God. But it is incorrect.

ਅਖਰ ਮਹਿ ਤ੍ਰਿਭਵਨ ਪ੍ਰਭਿ ਧਾਰੇ ॥
akhar mehi thribhavan prabh dhhaarae ||
In the Word, God established the three worlds.
~SGGS Ji ang 261

What is that One word? It is OM. How do I know this?

ਅਖਰ ਨਾਦ ਕਥਨ ਵਖ੍ਯ੍ਯਾਨਾ ॥
akhar naadh kathhan vakhyaanaa ||
From the Word, came the sound current of the Naad, speeches and explanations.
~SGGS JI ang 261

The Word comes from the Naad. In the Vedas it teaches that from the Para Nada comes the Pranava/Omkara.

Ek OM Kar. Mandukeya Upanishad states that Omkara is everything/idam sarvam. So the entire expanse of uncountable universes is included. So the meaning changes to: "One created all that is." Not "One Creator God."

sarvam khalv idam brahma
"All this that we see in the world is Brahman"
And with Bhai Gurdas vaar, "One has subsumed all forms in Himself."
ayam ātmā brahma
"The Self (or the Soul) is Brahman"
Waheguru is a mantra:

ਨਿਰੰਕਾਰੁ ਆਕਾਰੁ ਕਰਿ ਜੋਤਿ ਸਰੂਪੁ ਅਨੂਪ ਦਿਖਾਇਆ ।
nirankaaru aakaaru kari joti saroopu anoop dikhaaiaa|
The formless Lord has been beholden in the form of the light (in Guru Nanak and other Gurus).

ਵੇਦ ਕਤੇਬ ਅਗੋਚਰਾ ਵਾਹਿਗੁਰੂ ਗੁਰ ਸਬਦੁ ਸੁਣਾਇਆ ।
vayd katayb agocharaa vaahiguroo gur sabadu sunaaiaa|
The Gurus recited Word-Guru as Vahiguru who is beyond the Vedas and Katebas (the semtic scriptures).
~Vaar 12 Pauri 17 of Vaaran Bhai Gurdas Ji


This rejection of individuality to Wahreguru interestingly enough arrives as the same conclusion of being merged in God's will. At one with the Naam.Waheguru who is Divine Light and Sound created the worlds of form and individuality cannot have rejected the same. Naam is simply meaning Divine Name. So, as the Hare Krishna Bhaktis chant the names of their Beloved Maha Vishnu as Hari, Krishna and Ram, so is Waheguru the same kind of Vaishnav bhakta mantra. It is through Nama japa, reciting the Divine Names of Guru Mantra that liberates consciousness and leads to merging with the object of devotion. It is uniting the consciousness with the sound vibration that emanates from the Primal Nada, the Origin of being. So Mantra is not simply the same meaning as "name," or "reciting names." It is reciting sound current/Shabda. It has power to cleanse vikaars and defilements from the mind and heart.

God's Will in Gurbani is ਹੁਕਮਿ ਰਜਾਈ, hukam rajaaee. These are Arabic words that means following the will of God's Command. Hukam = Command, Rajaaee = God's Will. Surrendering to the Divine Will can be described as Prapatti, "throwing oneself down" at the Guru's feet/charan.

ਹਉ ਤਿਨ ਕੈ ਬਲਿਹਾਰਣੈ ਜਿ ਗੁਰ ਕੀ ਪੈਰੀ ਪਾਹਿ ॥੩॥
ho thin kai balihaaranai j gur kee pairee paahi ||3||
I am a sacrifice to those who fall at the Feet of the Guru. ||3||
~SGGS Ji ang 51


ਸਤਿਜੁਗਿ ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਵਾਸਦੇਵ ਵਵਾ ਵਿਸਨਾ ਨਾਮੁ ਜਪਾਵੈ ।
satijugi satigur vaasadayv vavaa visanaa naamu japaavai|
In Satyug, Visnu in the form of Vasudev is said to have incarnated and ‘V’ Of Vahiguru reminds of Visnu.

ਦੁਆਪਰਿ ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਹਰੀ ਕ੍ਰਿਸਨ ਹਾਹਾ ਹਰਿ ਹਰਿ ਨਾਮੁ ਜਪਾਵੈ ।
duaapari satigur haree krisan haahaa hari hari naamu japaavai|
The true Guru of dvapar is said to be Harikrsna and ‘H’ of Vahiguru reminds of Hari.

ਤੇਤੇ ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਰਾਮ ਜੀ ਰਾਰਾ ਰਾਮ ਜਪੇ ਸੁਖੁ ਪਾਵੈ ।
taytay satigur raam jee raaraa raam japay sukhu paavai|
In the the treta was Ram and ‘R’ of Vahiguru tells that rembering Ram will produce joy and happiness.

ਕਲਿਜੁਗਿ ਨਾਨਕ ਗੁਰ ਗੋਬਿੰਦ ਗਗਾ ਗੋਬਿੰਦ ਨਾਮੁ ਅਲਾਵੈ ।
kalijugi naanak gur gobind gagaa gobind naamu alaavai|
In kalijug, Gobind is in the form of Nanak and ‘G’ of Vahiguru gets Govind recited.

ਚਾਰੇ ਜਾਗੇ ਚਹੁ ਜੁਗੀ ਪੰਚਾਇਣ ਵਿਚਿ ਜਾਇ ਸਮਾਵੈ ।
chaaray jaagay chahu jugee panchaain vichi jaai samaavai|
The recitations of all the four ages subsume in Panchayan i.e. in the soul of the common man.

ਚਾਰੋ ਅਛਰ ਇਕੁ ਕਰਿ ਵਾਹਗੁਰੂ ਜਪੁ ਮੰਤ੍ਰ ਜਪਾਵੈ ।
chaaro achhar iku kari vaahaguroo japu mantr japaavai|
When joining four letters Vahiguru is remembered,

ਜਹਾ ਤੇ ਉਪਜਿਆ ਫਿਰਿ ਤਹਾ ਸਮਾਵੈ ॥੪੯॥੧॥
jahaa tay upajiaa dhiri tahaa samaavai ॥49॥1॥
The jiv merges again in its origin.
~Vaar 1 Pauri 49 of Vaaran Bhai Gurdas Ji

Bhai Gurdas Ji's interpretations of Gurbani are considered authoritative because Guru Arjun Dev Ji said he is "Adi Granth di kunji," key to understanding the Adi Granth. He had darshan of 4 living forms of Guru and was the scribe who wrote down the Adi Granth from Guru's mouth which later became the "Guru" Granth Sahib. According to Bhai Gurdas Ji, Waheguru is clearly a Vaishnav mantra. We jap not to become one with the Divine Naam/name. But to become one with what the Naam symbolizes in sound/mantr which is the Divine Presence. The Divine is formless, nirgun and beyond words or descriptions. But the Beyond has become manifest in the world of form in swaroop of mantrs, vakya/words of Divine power vibration direct from the primal Nada/Pranava/OM which can attune us to the Divine Presence. And that is how we merge.