The form of this shabad is a "Pauri", a Punjabi term used to describe a ladder, step, staircase. Pauris are a poetic form characterized by their concise structure, typically comprising 6 to 8 lines. Within a Pauri, two or more lines are skillfully crafted to end with rhyming words, adding a harmonious and melodic quality to the composition. Guru Nanak's Japji Sahib has 38 Pauris or step, each progressing the singer of the hymns to the highest ideal. I started my Gurbani recordings with a Guru Amar Das pauri, Prabh Paas Jan Ki Ardaas. Here is an example of a Pauri by Guru Arjan, Ja Tu Mere Val Hai:
The metaphor of stairs or ladders as a means of ascending to Heaven is prevalent in various religions worldwide. In Sikhism, the Sikh Gurus and the Sri Guru Granth Sahib are considered the guide or path for Sikhs to attain Moksha or liberation by following Gurbani and living a life of service to others. Similar concepts of ascending to the divine are found in the religious traditions of Hindus, Jews, Christians, and Muslims, each with their own symbolic references and religious texts.
As an example of popular culture, the song "Stairway to Heaven" by the band Led Zeppelin became a hit during a period in the West. Although the song's musical style may not directly reflect Indian music, the metaphor of the stairway in the song resonates with the idea of taking a different path towards spiritual enlightenment or transcendence. The lyrics beckon listeners to embark on a different road, much like the metaphorical journey portrayed in religious texts and traditions. The song ends in the heaven of oneness:
And if you listen very hard
The tune will come to you at last
When all are one and one is all
To be a rock and not to roll
While we humans cannot do many things, there are certain things we can do. We cannot fly in the sky. WE don't have wings. But we can ascend stairs. Its a human thing to do. As Henry Wadsworth Longfellow says in his poem The Ladder of St. Augustine:
We have not wings, we cannot soar;
But we have feet to scale and climb
By slow degrees, by more and more,
The cloudy summits of our time.
The ladders of the world versus the spiritual ladders
It Was As If a Ladder by Jane Hirshfield
It was as if
a ladder,
and each rung,
real to itself,
round or slat,
narrow or wide,
rope or metal –
and as you ascended,
real to yourself,
the rungs directly above
you solid,
directly beneath you, solid.
Scent of peeled orange
mixed with gasoline,
sound of hammers.
Farther below,
the rungs one by one vanished.
Farther above,
the rungs one by one
vanished.
And the side-rails’ lines
vanished, as into
a drawing by Brunelleschi.
Scent of peeled orange
and gasoline,
sound of hammers.
Grip now, night-dog, your barking:
this ladder in air,
invented by others, received by others.
Singing oneness!
