Guru Arjan says, "Whoever wants, can attain it?" in Jo Mange Thakur Apne Te. But what is one to ask? He mentions later in the shabad exactly what to ask: "Avgun sab mete" - remove all my vices. That is what we are to ask as Sikhs. Remove the five vices. This is what this shabad is about.
Jo Mange (Sarangi version)
The five vices are also called the five thieves because they essentially steal our own authentic self from us. They rob individuals of their inherent wisdom. These five vices are kama (lust), krodh (anger), lobh (greed), moh (attachment), and ahankar (ego or excessive pride).
We have to conquer these inner vices and render them powerless. And then we win the world. Man Jeetai Jagjit as Guru Nanak explains in the Japji.
The thoughts and actions of one's mind, and by extension, one's body, should operate independently of these five inner malefactions. It is the duty of a Sikh to resist succumbing to these five desires of the mind. Instead, we are to practice the Five Virtues.
Asking to Sing Hari
- after Guru Arjan
Ask, says the ancient bard,
and you shall receive—
but ask well.
Not silk, not sons,
not even salvation.
Ask that the thieves
be caught:
lust unarmed,
anger cooled,
greed turned generous,
attachment loosened,
ego bowed.
The self walks free asking to sing Hari.
Kunji Kulaf Praan Kar Karte Baar Na Lai
The creator put both lock and key in breath without delay
Kunji - Key
Kulaf - Lock
Praan - Breath (see below for more detail from Wikipedia)
Both lock and key in our breath.
We have the choice to do good or not.
While in most poems, we are encouraged to open the locked mind. In this shabad, Bhagat Kabir implies its best to lock the mind so the five thieves don't enter. The five thieves are kaam krodh lobh moh ahankar ... lust, anger, greed, attachment and ego.
From Wikipedia on Praan:
In Hindu philosophy including yoga, Indian medicine and Indian martial arts, prana (प्राण, prāṇa; the Sanskrit word for breath, "life force", or "vital principle") permeates reality on all levels including inanimate objects. In Hindu literature, prana is sometimes described as originating from the Sun and connecting the elements.
Five types of prana, collectively known as the five vāyus ("winds"), are described in Hindu texts. Ayurveda, tantra and Tibetan medicine all describe praṇā vāyu as the basic vāyu from which the other vāyus arise.
Pranayama, one of the eight limbs of yoga, is intended to expand prana.
Original Shabad by Bhagat Kabir:
ਗਉੜੀ ॥
गउड़ी ॥
Ga▫oṛī.
Gauree:
ਖਟ ਨੇਮ ਕਰਿ ਕੋਠੜੀ ਬਾਂਧੀ ਬਸਤੁ ਅਨੂਪੁ ਬੀਚ ਪਾਈ ॥
खट नेम करि कोठड़ी बांधी बसतु अनूपु बीच पाई ॥
Kẖat nem kar koṯẖ▫ṛī bāʼnḏẖī basaṯ anūp bīcẖ pā▫ī.
He fashioned the body chamber with six rings, and placed within it the incomparable thing.
ਕੁੰਜੀ ਕੁਲਫੁ ਪ੍ਰਾਨ ਕਰਿ ਰਾਖੇ ਕਰਤੇ ਬਾਰ ਨ ਲਾਈ ॥੧॥
कुंजी कुलफु प्रान करि राखे करते बार न लाई ॥१॥
Kunjī kulaf parān kar rākẖe karṯe bār na lā▫ī. ||1||
He made the breath of life the watchman, with lock and key to protect it; the Creator did this in no time at all. ||1||
ਅਬ ਮਨ ਜਾਗਤ ਰਹੁ ਰੇ ਭਾਈ ॥
अब मन जागत रहु रे भाई ॥
Ab man jāgaṯ rahu re bẖā▫ī.
Keep your mind awake and aware now, O Sibling of Destiny.
Says Kabeer, the nine openings of the body are being plundered; rise up to the Tenth Gate, and discover the true essence. ||3||22||73||
Guru Arjan’s shabad “Mere Laalan Ki Sobha”, sung in Raag Kalyan, offers a profound meditation on spiritual renewal. At its heart is a simple but transformative idea: the glory (sobha) of the Divine Beloved (Laalan) has the power to continuously refresh and color the human mind. The refrain — “Sad navtan man rangi sobha” — conveys this with lyrical clarity: divine beauty is not a one-time experience but a perpetual renewal that saturates the mind in ever-fresh hues.
The concept of navtan (newness) is central here. In a world obsessed with external reinvention — new clothes, careers, and identities — Guru Arjan shifts our attention inward. True renewal, he says, doesn’t come from changing our outer lives but from immersing our minds in the ever-renewing beauty of the Divine. This is not the beauty of ego or performance, but the radiance of presence, of seeing the divine in all things and allowing it to transform our perception.
What’s striking is that even the gods — Brahma, Mahesh (Shiva), the Siddhas, Indra — are described as seekers of this beauty. Brahm Mahes Sidh Mun Indra bhagat daan jas mangee. Guru Arjan reminds us that spiritual renewal is not just for the broken or the beginner — even the highest beings long to taste the joy of devotion, the refreshment of divine praise. Renewal is a universal need.
In Raag Kalyan — a raag of serenity, dusk, and gratitude — this teaching unfolds like evening light: soft, gentle, and inward-turning. The musical mood supports the message that true freshness does not shout. It arises quietly, like a garden after rain. Kalyan means welfare, blessing — and here, renewal is presented not as a burden but as a gift, a natural unfolding for those who stay in tune with the Beloved.
Renewal, Guru Arjan teaches, comes through simran — remembrance of the Divine Name — not as recitation alone, but as a way of life. It is the mind’s daily refresh button. As Bhagat Kabir sings write, Khoj dil har roj — search your heart for the Divine every day. This daily practice is what allows the mind to stay new, alert, and alive to the divine presence.
This kind of renewal is not about erasing the past or escaping suffering. It’s about re-seeing everything — even pain — through the lens of connection, love, and surrender. The saints, Guru Arjan says, are those who live in this way: companions of God, constantly dyed in divine color. They are not better than others, but they are freer — because they live from the heart of sobha, not the shell of ego.
To live in this way is to bloom always. Not only in spring, not only in joy, but in every breath, with every turn of the mind toward the Divine.
Notes For Discussing Sobha Mere Laalan Ki
Discussion during Graduation Season
Graduation Lessons:
The two most important days in any one's life: one is the day they were born, and the second is the day they find out why.
How to graduate?
Renew yourself
I You are not in control. Accept.
>Brahm Mahesh
Obama said: “As we get older, we learn we don’t always have control of things — not even a president does. But we do have control over how we respond to the world. We do have control over how we treat one another.”
It is difficult. Because you want to be in control.
1. Sab Ko Terai Jor - Sri
2. Aakhan Aukha Saacha Nao
II Keep good company
> Kaho Nanak
> Man - Keep Guru in the heart
1. Chaar Padarath
2. Bisar Gayi
1. Simar Mana Raam Naam - Bilawal
III Remember, remind yourself. Simran. All the time.
> Sad
1. Saas Saas Simro - Gauri
IV Singing means seeing the beauty - Sobha
Not just accept, singing of oneness. Day and night see the beauty. Wake up with hope, and sleep with thanks.
V Love is the only path
> Laalan
1. Jim Prem Kiyo Tin hi Prabh Payo
2. Karima Rahima Allah Tu Gani
3. Mithbolra - Suhi
Conclusion: See oneness in all
1. Prabh paas jan ki
Research on the Shabad "Mere Laalan Ki Sobha"
O the glory of my love!
Glory continuously renewing my mind!
Sobha -
Beauty; satyam shivam sundaram
But there is a problem with the beauty
Especially the beauty that we see in the world
Brahma, Mahesh, Sidha Munna, Indra
Jog, Gyan, Dhyan, Sekhnage
The beauty that we see in the world
and the beauty that we can imagine
let us imagine Brahma who spoke all the vedas
is still dependent on someone else
There is something bigger than us
that there is infinity in space and time
The real beauty is in the company of the saints
because saints are like flowers
they do not have egos
when the season comes they flower
and when the season goes they give everything
they have for the development of the others
dekh phool phool phoolai
and in doing so they are with oneness
they are with infinity -
Ja Tu Mere Val Hai
Lakh chaurasi medni, sabh sev karanda
the difference between real beauty
and temporary beauty is ego
Jenko apni sobha lorai, sadh sang eh haumai chhorai
that way they become beautiful
What simran provides is
continuous renewal
and simran is not just saying
something from your voice
or singing sweet - although it doesnt hurt
Guru Tegh Bahadur
when I What is this shabad aboue: Newness and Navtan versus puratan
Navtan has the same origin as new
It means new. Compared to puratan which means old.
Examples of renewal
Renewal is abundant in the world. Everything is changing.
Survival of the fittest and natural selection per Darwin shows how species can renew themselves. How did fish develop legs and the evaporating pool theory.
People don't want to renew
Aankhan aukha Saacha nau
The reality of truth is that renewal happens. Those who don't renew end up being dead. Those who don't renew their minds are spiritually dead.
A story about the Isle De Jean Charles - an island of the coast of Louisiana. It is drowning slowly under water. It might be the first community with "climate refugees". But there are some folks who don't want to move. They don't want to change. They are attached to their land. They are attached to the stories of their ancestors.
Even the best and brightest need renewal
Brahma and Mahadev.
Why do we need renewal? What happens when renewal happens?
To keep going. You need to refresh. Otherwise you are bogged down. The feeling that everything is new - exciting - chardi kala.
Everything in this world is new. Everything is different. Difference is what makes it exciting. It makes life fun.
Only a few do something new. Most people are copycats. Whether it is art music or work. Lifestyle or vacation. There is much copying.
When you start a new year you make resolutions. When you restart your life you also make promises. You forgive and forget what happened in the past. You have a new hope. Once vivekananda was asked by an American boy - what is worse than losing your girlfriend, and he responded losing the hope that you will have another. A restart is important so many times. It gives you new hope.
Lets say there is a bank screen. You are going to notice the thing that changes the most. Whether its the color or the position. Whichever thing changes the most. Even if you have a beautiful diamond on a picture, after a while a still image with no changes becomes boring. You notice what changes, what moves.
What needs the renewal?
Lady Gaga and Madonna are known for reinventing themselves. Lady Gaga once said about Madonna: “She reinvents herself from album to album. I reinvent myself week to week. I get quite bored with things and I don't want to let down my fans.” They are successful as artists.
Thats the first kind of two renewals. The first is when you do it outside in. It is temporary. It comes off. What does not come off is the transformation that is done from inside out. Therefore it acts first on the "Man" - for sake of simplicity lets call it mind.
Advice on renewal comes from other scriptures too:
Romans 12:2
New International Version (NIV)
Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
Ephesians 4:23
Amplified Bible (AMP)
and be continually renewed in the spirit of your mind [having a fresh, untarnished mental and spiritual attitude],
How is the renewal done: You have to press that refresh button of your mind. Otherwise whats on the mind's screen is outdated and stale, and it causes dissatisfaction.
You have be colored in the color of One! That is how renewal happens.
The closer you are to ekonkaar the fresher you are. But there are so many distractions in life. To remain fresh you have to remember all the time. You have to remind yourself incessantly. "Khoj dil har roj". Discover within your heart everyday.
You have to give up the load that you have been carrying from the past. You have to shed all the weight to start the renewal process.
Five Thieves: Kaam Krodh Lobh Moh Ahankar
The mind has to be changed
Kaam and Raam
Krodh and Daya
Ahankaar and Nirankaar
Jealousy and Gratitude
In other words, you have to make yourself ungreat again. Go back to your roots. When you were a speck even in your own perspective. You will appear a smaller speck in the universe's perspective.
Loose Control
You don't have control about what will happen to you. Even great sages, and the devas of the Hindu pantheon don't have complete control. Brahma has control only only making; Shiva on destroying, Indra on rain. They don't have complete control. There is a bigger force encompassing all of us that has complete control.
Have Gratitude
denda de lende thak pahi
The giver continues to give
Receivers grow wary
The giver of all does kalyan. He bestows all kinds of gifts upon us. But instead of being thankful we want something else. Guru Arjan is different. He is always newly colored by the love of Waheguru.
How did Dada Chelaram do it?
We forget about our gifts. In spite of being thankful for what we have, we often complain about what we don't have.
How did Ernest Hemingway do it?
I read a report in NY Times by David Brooks who went to see the house of celebrated American writer Ernest Hemingway when he was living in Havana, Cuba: Getting to Zero
This is a process that we might call “getting to zero,” when an artist — or anyone, really — digs through all the sap that gets encrusted around a career or relationship and retouches the intrinsic impulse that got him or her into it in the first place. Hemingway’s career got overlayered by money, persona and fame, but sometimes even at this late stage he was able to reconnect with the young man’s directness that produced his early best work
Hemingway was a man who embraced every self-indulgence that can afflict a successful person. But at moments he shed all that he had earned and received, and rediscovered the hard-working, clear-seeing and unadorned man he used to be.
We need to retouch our intrinsic impulses. We need to reconnect with our higher beings. We need to rediscover our true selves. We need to renew ourselves and the results are amazing.
How did I do it?
Anything that we repeat can be transformative. This poem transformed me. I have made a lot of friends from strangers who I've met on plane journeys. It also reminds me of Guru Arjan's words, "I have no enemy, I have no stranger".
When do we need renewal
When do we need to replace the sheet. When it can't do its purpose. When do we need to replace a phone. When it stops working. Renewal is needed when the purpose is lost. As soon as you forget that the purpose of life is to sing, you need a renewal. You need to remind yourself of the song that you are meant to sing in this world.
You need renewal always because as soon as you forget your purpose it is as good as dying. Akhaan jeevan visrai mar jaon.
Just like vacation increases the productivity at work?
You need renewal when you are successful. You need renewal after your failings.
In other words you need it always. You need it continuously.
If You will bless me with happiness, then I will worship and adore You. Even in pain, I will meditate on You. ||2||
Even if You give me hunger, I will still feel satisfied; I am joyful, even in the midst of sorrow. ||3||
So the answer is always. Continuously. And most importantly Now. Renewal is needed now.
Conclusion
In the end what I learn from this Shabad is that the singing of the glory of God, the remembrance of his virtues and their internalization in our mind, renews our mind.
I learn that Gurbani can be life transforming, only if we open the doors of our hearts.
"Everything changes but change itself." -Heraclitus Acceptance of change is acceptance of hukam.
The mind has a lot of choices. The beauty of unity colors the mind with new colors every moment.
It can be transforming if you realize the sobha, or the beauty of ekonkar. It can be transforming if you realize that a bigger power controls. The beauty and awesomeness of ekonkar lets you reliquish control. It lets you accept what is happening. It makes you happier. This is the renewal that is seeked in this shabad. Glory is what renews our mind. Glory is what renews us. Sad Natan Man Rangi Sobha.
We need the renewal all the time.
Sanyasa - Achieving the pinnacle of human experience
Guru Gobind Singh's shabad Re Man Aiso Kar Sanyasa is a beautiful crystallization of some of the deepest wisdom from oneness principles extolled by Indian sages for millennia. Every word and phrase can be used for meditation and for digging deeper. Through this shabad, Guru Gobind Singh gives the same message as Guru Nanak in Japji Sahib, and the same message Shri Krishna gave Arjun in Bhagwad Gita. The highest spirituality and the deepest self is not found by searching in the wilderness; it is found by perfecting one's mind. The one who win's their own mind, conquers the world.
SHABAD, TRANSLITERATION AND ALTERNATIVE TRANSLATION
ਰਾਗ ਰਾਮਕਲੀ ਪਾਤਸਾਹੀ ੧੦ ॥ Raaga Raamkalee Paatasaahee 10 ॥ RAMKALI OF THE TENTH KING
ਰੇ ਮਨ ਐਸੋ ਕਰਿ ਸੰਨਿਆਸਾ ॥ Re Man Aaiso Kari Saanniaasaa ॥ O mind ! the asceticism be practised in this way :
ਬਨ ਸੇ ਸਦਨ ਸਬੈ ਕਰ ਸਮਝਹੁ ਮਨ ਹੀ ਮਾਹਿ ਉਦਾਸਾ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥ Ban Se Sadan Sabai Kar Samajhahu Man Hee Maahi Audaasaa ॥1॥ Rahaau ॥ Consider your house as the forest and remain unattached within yourself…..Pause.
ਜਤ ਕੀ ਜਟਾ ਜੋਗ ਕੋ ਮਜਨੁ ਨੇਮ ਕੇ ਨਖੁਨ ਬਢਾਓ ॥ Jata Kee Jattaa Joga Ko Majanu Nema Ke Nakhuna Badhaao ॥ Consider continence as the matted hair, Yoga as the ablution and daily observances as your nails,
ਗਿਆਨ ਗੁਰੂ ਆਤਮ ਉਪਦੇਸਹੁ ਨਾਮ ਬਿਭੂਤ ਲਗਾਓ ॥੧॥ Giaan Guroo Aatama Aupadesahu Naam Bibhoota Lagaao ॥1॥ Consider the knowledge as the preceptor giving lessons to you and apply the Name of the Lord as ashes.1.
ਅਲਪ ਅਹਾਰ ਸੁਲਪ ਸੀ ਨਿੰਦ੍ਰਾ ਦਯਾ ਛਿਮਾ ਤਨ ਪ੍ਰੀਤਿ ॥ Alapa Ahaara Sulapa See Niaandaraa Dayaa Chhimaa Tan Pareeti ॥ Eat less and sleep less, cherish mercy and forgiveness
ਸੀਲ ਸੰਤੋਖ ਸਦਾ ਨਿਰਬਾਹਿਬੋ ਹ੍ਵੈਬੋ ਤ੍ਰਿਗੁਣ ਅਤੀਤ ॥੨॥ Seela Saantokh Sadaa Nribaahibo Havaibo Triguna Ateet ॥2॥ Practise gentleness and contentment and remain free from three modes.2.
ਕਾਮ ਕ੍ਰੋਧ ਹੰਕਾਰ ਲੋਭ ਹਠ ਮੋਹ ਨ ਮਨ ਮੋ ਲਯਾਵੈ ॥ Kaam Karodha Haankaara Lobha Hattha Moha Na Man Mo Layaavai ॥ Keep your mind unattached from lust, anger, greed, insistence and infatuation,
ਤਬ ਹੀ ਆਤਮ ਤਤ ਕੋ ਦਰਸੈ ਪਰਮ ਪੁਰਖ ਕਹ ਪਾਵੈ ॥੩॥੧॥ Taba Hee Aatama Tata Ko Darsai Parma Purkh Kaha Paavai ॥3॥1॥ Then you will visualize the supreme essence and realize the supreme Purusha. 3.1.
BACKGROUND - SHABAD HAZARE
This shabad comes from the Shabad Hazare. Shabad Hazare include ten religious hymns composed by Guru Gobind Singh which are present in Dasam Granth. Some scholar link hazare word to Persian Hijr means separation which linked as the shabads separates us from Maya where it is also believed to be come from word Haazra (means present) i.e. word of Haazar Hazoor. These hymns are primarily composed in Braj and Hindi languages, with plentiful use of sanskritic words. Like the Guru Granth Sahib, these hymns subscribe to the oneness direction of the mool mantra; they inspire a revolution of the mind and they are against idolatory and meaningless ritual practices.
MAIN CONCEPT - TRUE SANYAAS AND UDAASI
Historial concept of Sanyaas:
Sannyasa is a form of asceticism, is marked by renunciation of material desires and prejudices, represented by a state of disinterest and detachment from material life, and has the purpose of spending one's life in peaceful, love-inspired, simple spiritual life. Sanyasis can be called renunciates or ascetics. Sannyasa (saṃnyāsa) is the life stage of renunciation within the Hindu philosophy of four age-based life stages known as ashramas, with the first three being brahmacharya (bachelor student), Grihastha (householder) and Vanaprastha (forest dweller, retired). An individual in Sanyasa is known as a Sannyasi (male) or Sannyasini (female) in Hinduism, which in many ways parallel to the Sadhu and Sadhvi traditions of Jain monasticism, the bhikkhus and bhikkhunis of Buddhism and the monk and nun traditions of Christianity, respectively. In Sikhism, there is no ascetism; in the highest state of the individual is Brahmgyani. For someone who does this early in life, there are two options: Grihastha or Sanyaas. Gurbani combines the two and shows a path where Sanyaas can be achieved within grihastha. A more practical way of living a life.
Sanyas Happens Even Now:
Renunciation - even now people renunciate. They give up their lives and go on traveling trips. In fact some of their stories are published in books. Eat Pray Love is a book about this. Another example is Walden's Pond. Those who do these experiments come back rejuvinated. Hemingway's granddaughter who writes Wild is the most recent example of a popular work about Sanyasa.
Sanyaas and Udaas
Sam-ni-aas - having not desire: all together having no desires. Sa - Ni - aas - literally "with no hope" Sun - aas: being in zero-ness as Sant Singh Maskeen explains.
Ud-aas - Udar Aaas - Hope from inside, Hope in inside
While Sanyaas is a noun, Udaas is normally a verb. So someone can be in Sanyaas, and someone is udaas.
Guru Nanak's travels are called udaasis - According to Bhai Gurdaas - Babe Bhekh Banaya Udaasi ki reet chalaayi Chadheya sodhan Dharat Lukai
But the Udaasi of Gursikh is within Maaya - Gursikh Jogi Jaagde Maaya Andar Karan Udaasi
Everybody is a forest. You want to get lost in a forest and attain peace and silence in a forest. But that can be done in every body. In every house silence can be achieved. What is Sadan. It is Ghar. Happiness is attained through winning your mind.
Let the Guru's word be the mundra of the mind. Mundras were worn in the ear to straighten the mind.
Man Jeetai Jagjeet
Sochai Soch Na Hovai Chupai Chup Na Hovai Bhukheyaan Bhukh Sahes Seyaanapaan lakh Kiv Sacheyara hoyieh Hukam rajai chalnaa
It is not necessary to starve the body. It is only necessary to control your mind. The best renunciation, is the sacrifice through the mind. The renunciation of K, K, L, M, A:
Tyaagna Tyaagan Neeka, Kaam Krodh Lobh Moh Tyaagna
GIVING UP: Kaam Krodha Hankaar Lobh Hatth Moh Na Man Mo Layaavai
What should we really give up.
When the light of the lord enters your mind, you remember his Name and you forget those things that burn you: lust, anger, and greed. This is the exercise of conquering your mind. In Raag Maru, Guru Arjan Dev ji says:
Raja Bhartri on Greed भोगा न भुक्ता वयमेव भुक्ताः, तपो न तप्तं वयमेव तप्ताः । कालो न यातो वयमेव याताः तृष्णा न जीर्णा वयमेव जीर्णाः ॥
Pleasures weren't consumed, only we were; penance weren't 'done'; only we were 'done'; Time didn't pass, only we passed; thirst was not 'over', only we got 'over'.
HOW TO SEE GOD: Tab hi aatam tat ko darse.
Aatam Tat is "Spiritual Essence." The promise is that with Simran God is seen here and now.
Simran is important - if we can embrace the virtues of acceptance, compassion, kindness, love, forgiveness. and if we can cast out the
Raam Naam Ur Meh Gayo, Jaa Kai Sam Nahi Koy Jis Simrat Sab Dukh Mitai, Daras Tuharo Hoye
OBTAINING THE ULTIMATE: Param Purakh Kaha Paavai - Going beyond three gunas
Sanyasa is about achieving the pinnacle of human experience. And the pinnacle of human experience is to rise above the thieves of the mind. It is to go beyond the three gunas and become one with God.
The three gunas are thought to come originally from the Sankhya philosophy (one of six houses of Indian philosophy). Sankhya is a dualistic philosophy that believes in the coexistent and interdependent realities, conscious Purusha and unconscious Prakrti. Purusha is ever pure, wise and free but it becomes a subject of pain and pleasure when it identifies itself with Prakrti. Prakrti is the material cause of the universe and is composed of three gunas – sattva, rajas and tamas that correspond to light, activity and inertia respectively. The state in which the gunas are in equilibrium is called Prakrti but when disturbed the state is called Vikrti. Disturbance of the equilibrium of Prakrti produces the material world, including the mind, which is supposed to be the finest form of material energy.
The universe -- or brahmand -- is made of five elements. This universe maybe called prakriti of the Sankhya philosophy. It is really the same as Maya. However, there is a sixth element, the truth, also called paarbrahma, what Guru Gobind Singh calls aatam tatva or the Soul Element. While all the 5 Maya elements are driven by a combination of one of the three gunas (satva, rajas and tamas), the Soul element is beyond the three gunas. This is the state of being one with God.
Guru Arjan on this (For more read 16th ashtapadi of Sukhmani):
ਸਲੋਕੁ ॥
सलोकु ॥
Salok.
Shalok:
ਰੂਪੁ ਨ ਰੇਖ ਨ ਰੰਗੁ ਕਿਛੁ ਤ੍ਰਿਹੁ ਗੁਣ ਤੇ ਪ੍ਰਭ ਭਿੰਨ ॥
रूपु न रेख न रंगु किछु त्रिहु गुण ते प्रभ भिंन ॥
Rūp na rekẖ na rang kicẖẖ ṯarihu guṇ ṯe parabẖ bẖinn.
He has no form, no shape, no color; God is beyond the three qualities.
ਤਿਸਹਿ ਬੁਝਾਏ ਨਾਨਕਾ ਜਿਸੁ ਹੋਵੈ ਸੁਪ੍ਰਸੰਨ ॥੧॥
तिसहि बुझाए नानका जिसु होवै सुप्रसंन ॥१॥
Ŧisėh bujẖā▫e nānkā jis hovai suparsan. ||1||
They alone understand Him, O Nanak, with whom He is pleased. ||1||
Guru Arjan goes on in Ashtapadi 16 of Sukhmani sahib to explain, exactly how Guru Gobind did, how it is in the end the desires of the mind that need to be controlled.
Shri Krishna on this:
This is from the fourteenth chapter of the Bhagwad Gita. In the Bhagavad Gita, Arjuna asks Krishna how he can recognize the man who has gone beyond the three gunas, and what has he done to have gone beyond them? Krishna replies by listing the characteristics of such a person and by reiterating the central theme in the Gita: non-attachment to the fruits of one's labor:
Whatever quality arises –
Light, activity, delusion –
He neither dislikes its presence
Nor desires it when it is not there.
He who is unattached,
who is not disturbed by the gunas,
who is firmly rooted and knows
that only the gunas are acting
who is equally self-contained
in pain or pleasure, in happiness
or sorrow, who is content
with whatever happens, who sees
dirt, rocks, and gold as equal,
who is unperturbed amid praise
or blame of himself, indifferent,
to honor and to disgrace,
serene in success and failure,
impartial to friend and foe,
unattached to action – that man
has gone beyond the three gunas.
He who faithfully serves me
with the yoga of devotion, going
beyond the three gunas, is ready
to attain the ultimate freedom.
Bhagavad Gita, A New Translation, 14.22 – 26
(Translation by Stephen Mitchell, 2000)
Specifically:
नान्यं गुणेभ्य: कर्तारं यदा द्रष्टानुपश्यति |
गुणेभ्यश्च परं वेत्ति मद्भावं सोऽधिगच्छति ||
"When wise persons see that in all works there are no agents of action other than the three guṇas, and they know me to be transcendental to these guṇas, they attain my divine nature."
śhubha aśhubha phalaiḥ—from good and bad results; evam—thus; mokṣhyase—you shall be freed; karma—work; bandhanaiḥ—from the bondage; sanyāsa-yoga—renunciation of selfishness; yukta-ātmā—having the mind attached to Me; vimuktaḥ—liberated; mām—to Me; upaiṣhyasi—you shall reach
Translation
BG 9.28: By dedicating all your works to Me, you will be freed from the bondage of good and bad results. With your mind attached to Me through renunciation, you will be liberated and will reach Me.
Commentary -
Every action has defects, just as fire is covered by smoke. When we walk on the earth, we unknowingly kill millions of tiny living entities. In our occupational duties, no matter how careful we are in the fulfillment of our duties, we still end up harming the environment and hurting others. Even if we eat a cup of yogurt, we still incur the sin of destroying the living entities that reside in it. Some religious sects try to reduce this involuntary killing by tying a cloth over their mouth. Even this does not fully eliminate the destruction of living entities in our breath.
When we perform our actions with the intention of fulfilling our self-interest, we are culpable for the sins we commit, knowingly or unknowingly. In accordance with the law of karma, we have to reap their karmic reactions. Good works can also be binding because they oblige the soul to go to the celestial abodes to enjoy their results. Thus, both bad and good karmas result in the continuity of the cycle of birth and death. However, in this verse, Shree Krishna gives a simple solution for destroying all karmic reactions of work. He uses the word sanyās yog, meaning renunciation of selfishness. He says that when we dedicate our actions for the pleasure of the Lord, we are freed from the fetters of both good and bad results.
Those who establish themselves in such consciousness are called yog yuktātmā (united in consciousness with God). Such yogis become jīvan mukt (liberated in consciousness) even in this body. And, upon leaving their mortal frame, they receive a divine body and eternal service in the divine Abode of God.
Mary Oliver on Sanyasa
I have decided to find myself a home in the mountains, somewhere high up where one learns to live peacefully in the cold and the silence. It’s said that in such a place certain revelations may be discovered. That what the spirit reaches for may be eventually felt, if not exactly understood. Slowly, no doubt. I’m not talking about a vacation.
Of course, at the same time I mean to stay exactly where I am.
Are you following me?
Guru Nanak in Raag Shri
To get a broader perspective on Guru Gobind's shabad, it is truly worth reading the following Guru Nanak shabad in Raag Shri. The concepts of controlling desires (aas), residing within (antar), wisdom and understanding self (gyaan and antar ki gat), eliminating ego (haumai hoye vinaas), the detached mind rests in its house (man bairagi ghar vasai), meeting the lord by subduing the mind (man maar mil).
ਸਿਰੀਰਾਗੁ ਮਹਲਾ ੧ ॥
Siree Raag, First Mehl:
ਮਰਣੈ ਕੀ ਚਿੰਤਾ ਨਹੀ ਜੀਵਣ ਕੀ ਨਹੀ ਆਸ ॥
I have no anxiety about dying, and no hope of living.
ਤੂ ਸਰਬ ਜੀਆ ਪ੍ਰਤਿਪਾਲਹੀ ਲੇਖੈ ਸਾਸ ਗਿਰਾਸ ॥
You are the Cherisher of all beings; You keep the account of our breaths and morsels of food.
ਅੰਤਰਿ ਗੁਰਮੁਖਿ ਤੂ ਵਸਹਿ ਜਿਉ ਭਾਵੈ ਤਿਉ ਨਿਰਜਾਸਿ ॥੧॥
You abide within the Gurmukh. As it pleases You, You decide our allotment. ||1||
ਜੀਅਰੇ ਰਾਮ ਜਪਤ ਮਨੁ ਮਾਨੁ ॥
O my soul, chant the Name of the Lord; the mind will be pleased and appeased.
ਅੰਤਰਿ ਲਾਗੀ ਜਲਿ ਬੁਝੀ ਪਾਇਆ ਗੁਰਮੁਖਿ ਗਿਆਨੁ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
The raging fire within is extinguished; the Gurmukh obtains spiritual wisdom. ||1||Pause||
ਅੰਤਰ ਕੀ ਗਤਿ ਜਾਣੀਐ ਗੁਰ ਮਿਲੀਐ ਸੰਕ ਉਤਾਰਿ ॥
Know the state of your inner being; meet with the Guru and get rid of your skepticism.
ਮੁਇਆ ਜਿਤੁ ਘਰਿ ਜਾਈਐ ਤਿਤੁ ਜੀਵਦਿਆ ਮਰੁ ਮਾਰਿ ॥
To reach your True Home after you die, you must conquer death while you are still alive.
ਅਨਹਦ ਸਬਦਿ ਸੁਹਾਵਣੇ ਪਾਈਐ ਗੁਰ ਵੀਚਾਰਿ ॥੨॥
The beautiful, Unstruck Sound of the Shabad is obtained, contemplating the Guru. ||2||
ਅਨਹਦ ਬਾਣੀ ਪਾਈਐ ਤਹ ਹਉਮੈ ਹੋਇ ਬਿਨਾਸੁ ॥
The Unstruck Melody of Gurbani is obtained, and egotism is eliminated.
ਸਤਗੁਰੁ ਸੇਵੇ ਆਪਣਾ ਹਉ ਸਦ ਕੁਰਬਾਣੈ ਤਾਸੁ ॥
I am forever a sacrifice to those who serve their True Guru.
ਖੜਿ ਦਰਗਹ ਪੈਨਾਈਐ ਮੁਖਿ ਹਰਿ ਨਾਮ ਨਿਵਾਸੁ ॥੩॥
They are dressed in robes of honor in the Court of the Lord; the Name of the Lord is on their lips. ||3||
ਜਹ ਦੇਖਾ ਤਹ ਰਵਿ ਰਹੇ ਸਿਵ ਸਕਤੀ ਕਾ ਮੇਲੁ ॥
Wherever I look, I see the Lord pervading there, in the union of Shiva and Shakti, of consciousness and matter.
ਤ੍ਰਿਹੁ ਗੁਣ ਬੰਧੀ ਦੇਹੁਰੀ ਜੋ ਆਇਆ ਜਗਿ ਸੋ ਖੇਲੁ ॥
The three qualities hold the body in bondage; whoever comes into the world is subject to their play.
ਵਿਜੋਗੀ ਦੁਖਿ ਵਿਛੁੜੇ ਮਨਮੁਖਿ ਲਹਹਿ ਨ ਮੇਲੁ ॥੪॥
Those who separate themselves from the Lord wander lost in misery. The self-willed manmukhs do not attain union with Him. ||4||
ਮਨੁ ਬੈਰਾਗੀ ਘਰਿ ਵਸੈ ਸਚ ਭੈ ਰਾਤਾ ਹੋਇ ॥
If the mind becomes balanced and detached, and comes to dwell in its own true home, imbued with the Fear of God,
ਗਿਆਨ ਮਹਾਰਸੁ ਭੋਗਵੈ ਬਾਹੁੜਿ ਭੂਖ ਨ ਹੋਇ ॥
then it enjoys the essence of supreme spiritual wisdom; it shall never feel hunger again.
ਨਾਨਕ ਇਹੁ ਮਨੁ ਮਾਰਿ ਮਿਲੁ ਭੀ ਫਿਰਿ ਦੁਖੁ ਨ ਹੋਇ ॥੫॥੧੮॥
O Nanak, conquer and subdue this mind; meet with the Lord, and you shall never again suffer in pain. ||5||18||
Singing oneness!
