Shivpreet Singh

The Other Place: Listening - the First Step Towards Bliss

Listening is often praised in passing—as a virtue, a skill, a kindness—but only rarely is it treated as a path. A way of living. A way of becoming.

Today I am reading William Stafford’s poem Listening, in which the poet remembers his father’s gift of hearing: not just footsteps or moths, but the world itself—speaking from its edges. A kind of listening that invited the soft wild night closer, that widened the world and made even silence luminous.

Stafford’s poem reminds me how listening, when done deeply, becomes more than passive reception. It becomes a kind of migration—out of the self and into a broader field. His father did not just hear more than the others; he became more by listening. We too, Stafford says, can be touched “from that other place.” If we turn our faces toward quiet long enough, it might find us.

In spiritual traditions, this kind of listening is not unfamiliar. Guru Nanak, in the Japji Sahib, dedicates an entire set of four verses—known as the Suniye pauris—to explore what true listening does to the soul. Not just hearing words or concepts, but Suniye—a listening that transforms. A listening that opens the doors to divine perception.

By listening, Nanak says, the earth and sky revolve. By listening, death cannot touch you. By listening, you attain contentment, truth, and wisdom. Even the gods, even the scriptures, arise from listening. This is not the listening of noise but the listening of Naam—the Word, the pulse of existence.

Suniye is not merely a function of the ears. The ears are always open. But the heart? The attention? The self? These must be quieted. This is what makes Suniye so difficult and so profound. It asks us not to be doers but receivers. To set down our own noise. To enter, as the mystics say, the cave of the heart.

In everyday life, most of us rarely listen. We wait to speak. We scan for familiar patterns. We filter reality through what we already believe. Guru Nanak names this—the ego’s noise—as the barrier to bliss. But listening, true listening, allows us to become sangat—in association with the divine Word. Over time, he says, this transforms your very being. Misery and sin lose their grip.

This is not unlike what happens in poetry. Naomi Shihab Nye’s short lines invite us to listen to the trees, to the birds, to the delicate thrum of the living world. Shel Silverstein, in his childlike wisdom, urges us to “listen to the mustn’ts,” to the invisible constraints that surround possibility—and then, beyond them, to a voice that whispers: Anything can happen, child. Langston Hughes listens in the still of the night—not for sound, but for presence. And Paul Simon’s famous line, “The sound of silence,” gestures toward that same paradox of inwardness: that what matters most is often what’s unspoken, or unspeakable.

But what is shared by all these poems is not a content—but a posture. A state of alert stillness. A readiness to be changed.

William Stafford’s father was not a mystic, perhaps, nor a saint. But in the poem, he stands like one: attuned to other dimensions. A quiet seer on the porch. And Stafford, like Nanak, like us, waits to be touched from that other place.

That “other place” might be the soul. Or the silence between two people. Or the voice of a Guru. Or the stillness that follows a chant. Or the moment when a child, long asleep, says something that startles you awake. It could even be the wind through the leaves or the twitch of a squirrel’s tail. The world speaks. The divine speaks. But only when we stop speaking ourselves.

In a world that prizes noise, listening is a quiet rebellion. It is the practice of surrendering the illusion of control. Of receiving, not conquering. Guru Nanak and William Stafford have me convinced. Listening is the first true step toward bliss.

Here is Stafford’s poem.

Listening - William Stafford

My father could hear a little animal step,

or a moth in the dark against the screen,

and every far sound called the listening out

into places where the rest of us had never been.

More spoke to him from the soft wild night

than came to our porch for us on the wind;

we would watch him look up and his face go keen

till the walls of the world flared, widened.

My father heard so much that we still stand

inviting the quiet by turning the face,

waiting for a time when something in the night

will touch us too from that other place.

"Listening" by William Stafford, from West of Your City. © Talisman Press, 1960.

Some More Poems on Listening

"Listening" by Naomi Shihab Nye:

Listen,

the trees are moving

in their leaves.

Listen,

the birds are singing.

"Listen" by Shel Silverstein:

Listen to the mustn'ts, child.

Listen to the don'ts.

Listen to the shouldn'ts,

The impossibles, the won'ts.

Listen to the never haves,

Then listen close to me...

Anything can happen, child.

Anything can be.

"In the Still of the Night" by Langston Hughes:

In the still of the night,

While the world is in slumber,

I listen, I listen,

To hear your soft voice.

"The Sound of Silence" by Paul Simon:

Hello darkness, my old friend

I've come to talk with you again

Because a vision softly creeping

Left its seeds while I was sleeping

And the vision that was planted in my brain

Still remains

Within the sound of silence.

Guru Nanak's Suniye - By Rajesh Krishnan

Guru Nanak’s Japji Sahib – V

Pauri – 8

Suniye Sidh Peer Sur Naath

Suniye Dharat Dhaval Akas

Suniye Deep Loa Paataal

Suniye Pohi Na Sakey Kaal

Nanak Bhagtan Sada Vigaas

Suniye Dukh Paap Ka Naas

By listening

one rises to become perfect and venerable

By listening, the earth and sky above revolve

By listening, the isles and nether worlds are stable

By listening, Death does not strike

Says Nanak,

Through listening

the devotee is always blissful

thus, all miseries and sins are annihilated

Guru Nanak in this Pauri reveals the art of listening and the benefits one can obtain by it.

Guru Nanak says that by listening, one can become a Siddha (person with occult powers), a Pir (saint), Sur (devta or a celestial being) and Nath (Lord like a king). Next he says that the Earth, the Sky also operate by listening (i.e. by following the Divine Order) and that the entire existence functions on this basis. By listening even death (Kaal) cannot touch. By listening, one is always in a state of bliss, thereby all miseries and sins are destroyed.

Sounds very simple! Just listen and everything is attained! To a layman this appears to be just overstated.

So a little more understanding is required on the meaning of Suniye.

Suniye distinctively involves listening or hearing (shravana) leading to “contemplation” (manana) and “imbibing” (nidhyasan); the initial steps for inculcating spiritual discipline. Suniye does not mean a chat or a dialogue. It simply means to listen.

Let us look at our everyday lives. When do we listen and what do we listen? Don’t we hear mostly what we want to hear, not what the other person is trying to convey? The moment something is communicated to us that does not synchronize with our habituated patterns, we start arguing and debating. Resultantly, we enter into conflicts by totally rejecting the other’s point of view without applying any logic. Shravana – the art of listening – is simply blown away to winds.

Suniye or shravana means to listen attentively and then reflect on it, followed by inference or contemplation leading to realization of the true meaning of what has been heard.

Suniye from spiritual and religious standpoint thus implies to visit the Guru – the Master – with an empty mind and fill it up to the brim with the holy Word and be constantly associated with it. The importance of association is well known. In fact, the word “Sangat” (association) is of extreme importance to remember. It is by our associating with things, both subjective and objective, that we tend to get influenced and these influences manifest in our actions. Repetitive actions form our habits and the sum total of our habits is our character, the gateway to our ultimate destiny.

This aspect has been well known to all our ancestors and Guru Nanak emphasizes and explains this phenomenon by using the word Suniye very logically and purposefully throughout this Pauri and the next three Pauris. Finally, the last two lines of this Pauri are repeated exactly the same way in all the four Pauris.

At the end of the Pauri, Guru Nanak simply guarantees that by listening, when one becomes constantly associated with the name of God, then the holy Word pervades the very being of that person and becomes like an armor to ward off and annihilate all miseries and sins.

Pauri - 9

Suniye Isar Barma Ind

Suniye Mukh Salahan Mand

Suniye Jog Jugat Tan Bhed

Suniye Sasat Simrat Ved

Nanak Bhagtan Sada Vigaas

Suniye Dukh Paap Ka Naas

By Listening, exists the trinity of

Shiva, Brahma and Indra

By listening

even the ignorant praise the name of God

By listening one learns

the mysteries of Yoga and the bodily humors

By listening

all the scriptural knowledge is known

Says Nanak,

Through listening

the devotee is always blissful

thus, all miseries and sins are annihilated

The famous Hindu trinity is Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, the Lords of Creation, Preservation and Destruction. However, in this Pauri, instead of Vishnu, the name used is that of Indra. If one follows Hindu mythology, Indra many a time represents the same powers as that of Vishnu.

Guru Nanak used the trinity earlier in Pauri # 5 and it is again referenced in Pauri # 30.

What exactly is this trinity?

While inferring Pauri # 5 it was stated that the Hindu trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh – the “Gods” of Creation, Operation and Destruction – are conceptual symbols and stand for the three gunas (traits or tendencies) which serve as the fundamental operating principles of Prakriti – universal nature – which are called: sattva, rajas and tamas - the forces engaged in the process of creation, preservation, and destruction respectively. These Gunas are seen to manifest in all creations at all times, though not in equal measure.

Now Guru Nanak in this Pauri declares that these gunas came into being by listening. One needs to reflect on “Ik Onkar Satnam” the mulmantra which means ‘One primordial energy’ the only Truth and the Cause of all creation. Scientifically, the first manifestation of energy is sound and all further manifestations occur later. Wouldn’t it then mean that when the first manifestation i.e. the sound is first heard and only then subsequent materializations take place? Hence, Guru Nanak proclaims here that the trinity came into being only by listening.

Next Guru Nanak says that by listening even “mand” the ignorant (some translate this as sinners) start praising God. Ignorance arises when we are connected with our ego – hence we become the doers of our actions. Actions result in reactions and an unstoppable flow of thoughts which bind or trap us. By listening, what Guru Nanak is saying is that we disconnect from our ego, the state of being a doer and instead become a witness. Once the sense of being a witness is established, then all ignorance vanishes on its own.

By listening one learns the secrets of Yoga and the mystery of bodily humors. Yoga is the art of understanding the energy within and giving it the right direction. We have to remind ourselves again and again that “by listening” implies the state of silence or solitude. When one is silent, one becomes automatically relaxed; and with restlessness diminished the breathing becomes peaceful. There is a different kind of glow and feeling of tranquility. In such a state, one then listens from within and acquires knowledge of yoga and the mystery of bodily humors.

Another point to note is that to see, one has to open one’s eyelids i.e. to carry out an action, but to hear one does not have to “open” one’s ears. They are always open to listen. Thus listening is a passive action. Yet can one listen in a chaotic, noisy or cacophonous environment? Hence shravana – the art of listening – warrants an undisturbed serenity – so that one may hear, contemplate and absorb.

Similarly, says Guru Nanak, the knowledge and wisdom of the scriptures (Shastras, Vedas, et al) is acquired by suniye or listening.

Pauri – 10

Suniye Sat Santokh Gyan

Suniye Athsath Ka Ishnan

Suniye Par Par Pave Maan

Suniye Lage Sahaj Dhyan

Nanak Bhagtan Sada Vigaas

Suniye Dukh Paap Ka Naas

By listening

Truth and contentment are attained

By listening

The advantage of spiritual baths

in the sixty-eight holy places is gained

By listening and reading again and again

honor is merited

By listening

Meditation transpires spontaneously

Says Nanak,

with the Word pervading always in the devotee

All miseries and sins are annihilated.

Continuing on the glory of Suniye (Shravana – the art of listening) Guru Nanak, in this Pauri explains that just by listening, awareness of all truth and contentment is attained.

Sat again in this Pauri is used for Sat as absolute existence and Truth.

The idea of discontent or dissatisfaction occurs when we relate our material wealth or egocentric thoughts compare our material wealth with what and how much the “other” has and this concept and feeling of the “other” exists so long as the idea of “I” exists.

Santokh or contentment means to express gratitude for what one has and bear no remorse for what one does not have. Only with this kind of attitude and perspective can one be in a state of Santokh or real contentment. Only then one can remain in a blissful state.

Thus the word “gyan” (wisdom, awareness, and understanding) is the key that unlocks all confusion that is caused by the feeling of “discontent” and this “gyan” – the awareness – comes from listening.

Next is ‘Athsath ka Ishnan’ or bathing in sixty-eight holy places. The prevailing ritualistic belief amongst the Hindus is that by bathing in the 68 holy places, one will be absolved of all sins and become virtuous.

However, in Raja Yoga (Kundalini Yoga), the Yoga Sutras explain about the seven major chakras or energy centers within the body. The word chakra in Sanskrit means ‘wheel’ or ‘disk’. Each of the seven main chakras has its own distinct character and relates to a unique aspect of our being. The chakras correlate to levels of consciousness, body functions, colors, elements, sounds, and much more. The blockage or energetic dysfunction in the chakras is believed to give rise to emotional, physiological, psychological and spiritual disorders. Similarly, the body also contains sixty-eight points which in the Yogic exercises are used to channelize the energy to attain virtue.

Yoga is by and large used by common people as an exercise for body fitness, the study of the chakras and channelizing of the energy through various points from the lower chakra to the highest is done by Siddhas to acquire occult powers.

To explain, the sixty eight points within the body, to common people, various pilgrimage spots became symbols through mythological tales and as it always happens, these symbols were and are mistaken for reality.

Rituals are the by-products of this explanation and people even today believe that by taking a baths at such pilgrimages, the sins will be absolved and the person will become virtuous or even attain salvation! Millions take such bath religiously (read blind ritualism) and find themselves in the same condition as before, because, in majority of the cases, what was supposed to have been drowned – “I” the mundane ego – returns inflated manifold.

It is in this context that Guru Nanak says that whatever the virtue that one can attain through bathing in “these” sixty eight holy places can be gained simply by listening.

Now, “Suniye Lage Sahaj Dhyan” comes as a revelation. Meditation means to awaken inside and listen to the sound of silence – and it is possible to meditate only when the mind is not engaged in the debates of internal dialogues. Hence, Guru Nanak says that by simply listening, meditation happens on its own accord, naturally.

Pauri - 11

Suniye Saran Guna Ke Gah

Suniye Sheikh Peer Patshah

Suniye Andhe Pave Rah

Suniye Hath Hove Asgah

Nanak Bhagtan Sada Vigaas

Suniye Dukh Paap Ka Naas

By listening

one becomes virtuous like deep oceans

By listening

sages, saints and Kings come into being

By listening

the blind (ignorant) finds the way

By listening

the Unfathomable is close at hand

Says Nanak,

with the Word pervading always in the devotee

All miseries and sins are annihilated.

The art of listening is further exalted in this Pauri. Guru Nanak says that by listening alone, the highest virtues can be acquired and one can fathom the depths of oceans. By listening, one can acquire the wisdom of the sages, the virtues of the saints and the sovereignty of the kings. Likewise, the blind (ignorant) discover the path by listening. What is generally known is the surface, but by listening, one can fathom the depths of boundless.

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Shivpreet Singh · Navai Kai Rang

The words

This is the 20th pauri of Guru Nanak's long poem Japji Sahib. It is said that Guru Nanak composed this poem n Kartarpur on the right bank of the Ravi river towards the end of his travels. Many have called Japji Sahib the distillation of Guru Nanak's philosophy. From what I have experienced from listening to Japji over the years, Guru ji lays down a 40-step path for the soul bride to sing the essence of truth, Satnam. The initial and last steps are called shloka's and the 38 poems within are called pauris, which literally means steps. Devout sikhs like my grandfather and my parents recite Japji Sahib everyday in the morning. The lyrics and 3 alternative translations are below.

The music

I have been working on the music for this composition since several years. The idea was to interject the verses with chanting on Satnam. The harmonies are not computer generated as is for many arrangements these days; I took my sweet time and took over 100 takes for the different vocals in this track and layered them for the harmonies. So I want to especially thank my collaborators who had to wait a long long time before this was completed. In 2018, my friend and his wife David and Ana contributed some tracks to help with this. David Baynes (who also did the arrangement of Jo Mange from 2014, and played the guitar in Jin Prem Kiyo with me) played the guitar and bass for this track. Ana Milena Varona, a highly accomplished cellist, has played several cello tracks to make it sound like a string quartet. Both of them poured their hearts into this so if you enjoy the music, please send them your best wishes.

Lyrics and Translation

ਭਰੀਐ ਹਥੁ ਪੈਰੁ ਤਨੁ ਦੇਹ ॥
भरीऐ हथु पैरु तनु देह ॥
Bẖarīai hath pair ṯan ḏeh.
When the hands and the feet and the body are dirty,

ਪਾਣੀ ਧੋਤੈ ਉਤਰਸੁ ਖੇਹ ॥
पाणी धोतै उतरसु खेह ॥
Pāṇī ḏẖoṯai uṯras kẖeh.
water can wash away the dirt.

ਮੂਤ ਪਲੀਤੀ ਕਪੜੁ ਹੋਇ ॥
मूत पलीती कपड़ु होइ ॥
Mūṯ palīṯī kapaṛ hoe.
When the clothes are soiled and stained by urine,

ਦੇ ਸਾਬੂਣੁ ਲਈਐ ਓਹੁ ਧੋਇ ॥
दे साबूणु लईऐ ओहु धोइ ॥
Ḏe sābūṇ laīai oh ḏẖoe.
soap can wash them clean.

ਭਰੀਐ ਮਤਿ ਪਾਪਾ ਕੈ ਸੰਗਿ ॥
भरीऐ मति पापा कै संगि ॥
Bẖarīai maṯ pāpā kai sang.
But when the intellect is stained and polluted by sin,

ਓਹੁ ਧੋਪੈ ਨਾਵੈ ਕੈ ਰੰਗਿ ॥

ओहु धोपै नावै कै रंगि ॥
Oh ḏẖopai nāvai kai rang.
it can only be cleansed by the Love of the Name.

ਪੁੰਨੀ ਪਾਪੀ ਆਖਣੁ ਨਾਹਿ ॥
पुंनी पापी आखणु नाहि ॥
Punnī pāpī ākẖaṇ nāhi.
Virtue and vice do not come by mere words;

ਕਰਿ ਕਰਿ ਕਰਣਾ ਲਿਖਿ ਲੈ ਜਾਹੁ ॥
करि करि करणा लिखि लै जाहु ॥
Kar kar karṇā likẖ lai jāhu.
actions repeated, over and over again, are engraved on the soul.

ਆਪੇ ਬੀਜਿ ਆਪੇ ਹੀ ਖਾਹੁ ॥
आपे बीजि आपे ही खाहु ॥
Āpe bīj āpe hī kẖāhu.
You shall harvest what you plant.

ਨਾਨਕ ਹੁਕਮੀ ਆਵਹੁ ਜਾਹੁ ॥੨੦॥
नानक हुकमी आवहु जाहु ॥२०॥
Nānak hukmī āvhu jāhu. ||20||
O Nanak, by the Hukam of God's Command, we come and go in reincarnation. ||20||

Translation by Sant Kirpal Singh

More: https://www.shivpreetsingh.com/2012/10/guru-nanaks-japji-translation-by-sant.html

STANZA XX
When the hands, feet and the body are besmeared
they are washed clean with water;
When the clothes get dirty and polluted, they are cleansed
by soap;
When one's mind gets defiled by sin, it can be purified
only by communion with the Word.
Men do not become saints or sinners merely by words.
But they carry deeds with them wherever they go.
As one sows, so does one reap;
O Nanak, men come and go by the wheel(1) of birth and death
as ordained by His Will.

(1) The inexorable Law of Karma or the Law of Cause and Effect also works under His Will.
Good actions like acts of mercy and charity although commendable in themselves do not have an important bearing on the highest spiritual attainment. They cease to be of consequence once the soul begins its inner journey from the "Til" or the third eye: "If therefore thine eye be single thy whole body shall be full of Light." Matt 6:22. Borne along the Current of the Word, the soul reaches "Amrit-saar" or "Amritsar" or the Fount of Nectar, the Amritsar in man. There any impurities that may be still clinging to the soul are finally washed away. Thus the soul is made fit for the onward journey to the highest spiritual plane of "Sat Naam" which is of ineffable greatness and glory.

Rhyming Translation of Pauri 20 by Swami Raama

For full Japji: https://www.shivpreetsingh.com/2011/02/guru-nanak-japji-rhyming-translation.html

The dirt from off the hands can clean
And face and feet may water glean.
When the garments have been stained,
With soap is stainlessness regained.
When sin and vice the mind may blight,
Love of Name will set it right.
A saint or sinner can’t be known
Merely by the speech he’s sown,
But language of the heart unveils
The action that a man travails.
“As you show, so shall you reap”
The fruits of action one may keep.
Nanak says:
A person comes and then he dies,
To order of the lord complies. ||20||

#GuruNanak #Japji #ShivpreetSingh #Satnam

"Pavan Guru" literally means "Wind Guru" or "Wind is the supreme guide." Pavan Guru is a collaboration with the amazing singer songwriter Alexis Harte. According to Kurrent Music, "Alexis Harte is a rare multi-dimensional talent that succeeds in many diverse musical challenges and environments." I can attest that he really puts his soul into his music. You can learn more about him on his website: http://www.alexisharte.com/. His colleague Stephen Spies helped out and played the violin on this track and I am much grateful for his contribution as well.

Pavan Guru Pani Pita - Lyrics And Translation

Transliteration

Pavaṇ gurū pāṇī piṯā māṯā ḏẖaraṯ mahaṯ.
Ḏivas rāṯ ḏue ḏāī ḏāiā kẖelai sagal jagaṯ.

Cẖangāīā buriāīā vācẖai ḏẖaram haḏūr.
Karmī āpo āpṇī ke neṛai ke ḏūr.

Jinī nām ḏẖiāiā gae maskaṯ gẖāl.
Nānak ṯe mukẖ ujle keṯī cẖẖutī nāl. ||1||

Translation

Wind is Guru, Water is Father,

and Earth, the Great Mother.
Day and night are the two caretakers

In whose lap all the world is at play.

Good deeds and bad deeds

are spoken in presence of Dharma
Through one’s action,

one can be near or far

Those who remember Satnaam

through their hard work
They have radiant faces

And spread their radiance to others

Gurbani

ਪਵਣੁ ਗੁਰੂ ਪਾਣੀ ਪਿਤਾ ਮਾਤਾ ਧਰਤਿ ਮਹਤੁ ॥
ਦਿਵਸੁ ਰਾਤਿ ਦੁਇ ਦਾਈ ਦਾਇਆ ਖੇਲੈ ਸਗਲ ਜਗਤੁ ॥

ਚੰਗਿਆਈਆ ਬੁਰਿਆਈਆ ਵਾਚੈ ਧਰਮੁ ਹਦੂਰਿ ॥
ਕਰਮੀ ਆਪੋ ਆਪਣੀ ਕੇ ਨੇੜੈ ਕੇ ਦੂਰਿ ॥

ਜਿਨੀ ਨਾਮੁ ਧਿਆਇਆ ਗਏ ਮਸਕਤਿ ਘਾਲਿ ॥
ਨਾਨਕ ਤੇ ਮੁਖ ਉਜਲੇ ਕੇਤੀ ਛੁਟੀ ਨਾਲਿ ॥੧॥

Hindi

पवण गुरू पाणी पिता माता धरत महत ॥
दिवस राति दुइ दाई दाइआ खेलै सगल जगत ॥
चंगिआईआ बुरिआईआ वाचै धरम हदूर ॥
करमी आपो आपणी के नेड़ै के दूर ॥
जिनी नाम धिआइआ गए मशक़्क़त घाल ॥
नानक ते मुख उजले केती छुटी नाल ॥१॥

Reflection - The song of the wind is my caretaker

These are not merely words. These are the words of my master. The words of my love. The words fly without wings because the wind carries them. They are the songs of the wind. At the same time as these songs pacify deep within, they also reignite candle.

Just like water initiates my life as my father. Just like this earth nourishes my life as my mother. This is the song of the wind that enlightens my life as my Guru.

This song of the wind is my caretaker. One of its verse enlivens my day of life. The other verse cradles my night of life.

This is the song of the wind that provides direction. I can choose to hear this song, and let it penetrate with love. And then I am near love and I am near life. And if I choose to ignore, I am farther from love, and farther from life.

This song of the wind provide me guidance. When I am wrong it blows me towards the light of truth. When I am right, it fills me with joy. Anyone else who can hear this song of the wind, is in similar rapture as me. Pavan Guru.

There are crazy people who think this wind is invisible and these songs cannot be heard. And the crazy people think I am crazy.

Interpretation by Bhai Gurdas

In the following 5th pauri of his 6th vaar, Bhai Gurdas expands on Guru Nanak's shloka, Pavan Guru Pani Pita:

ਪਉਣ ਗੁਰੂ ਗੁਰ ਸਬਦੁ ਹੈ ਵਾਹਿਗੁਰੂ ਗੁਰ ਸਬਦ ਸੁਣਾਇਆ।

The Guru's word is the air, the Guru and wondrous lord has recited Word the Guru.

ਪਾਣੀ ਪਿਤਾ ਪਵਿਤ੍ਰ੍ਰ ਕਰਿ ਗੁਰਮੁਖਿ ਪੰਥ ਨਿਵਾਣਿ ਚਲਾਇਆ।

The father of man is water which by flowing downwards teaches humility.

ਧਰਤੀ ਮਾਤ ਮਹਤ ਕਰਿ ਓਤਿਪੋਤਿ ਸੰਜੋਗੁ ਬਣਾਇਆ।

The earth being tolerant like mother is the mother and is the further base of all the creatures.

ਦਾਈ ਦਾਇਆ ਰਾਤਿ ਦਿਹੁ ਬਾਲ ਸੁਭਾਇ ਜਗਤ੍ਰ੍ਰ ਖਿਲਾਇਆ।

The day and night are the nurses who keep the people of child-wisdom busy in the plays of the world.

ਗੁਰਮੁਖਿ ਜਨਮ ਸਕਾਰਥਾ ਸਾਧਸੰਗਤਿ ਵਸਿ ਆਪੁ ਗਵਾਇਆ।

The life of Gurmukh is meaningful because he in the holy congregation has lost his egotism.

ਜੰਮਣ ਮਰਣਹੁ ਬਾਹਰੇ ਜੀਵਨ ਮੁਕਤਿ ਜੁਗਤਿ ਵਰਤਾਇਆ।

He becoming liberated in life behaves in the 'world with the skill to come out of the cycle of transrnigration.

ਗੁਰਮਤਿ ਮਾਤਾ ਮਤਿ ਹੈ ਪਿਤਾ ਸੰਤੋਖ ਮੋਖ ਪਦੁ ਪਾਇਆ।

The mother of the gurmukhs is the wisdom of the Guru and father, the contentment through whom they attain deliverance.

ਧੀਰਜ ਧਰਮੁ ਭਿਰਾਵ ਦੁਇ ਜਪੁ ਤਪੁ ਜਤੁ ਸਤੁ ਪੁਤ ਜਣਾਇਆ।

Forbearance and the sense of duty are their brothers, and meditation, austerities, continence the sons.

ਗੁਰ ਚੇਲਾ ਚੇਲਾ ਗੁਰੂ ਪੁਰਖਹੁ ਪੁਰਖ ਚਲਤੁ ਵਰਤਾਇਆ।

The Guru and the disciple are diffused into one another in equanimity and they both are the extension of the perfect supreme Lord.

ਗੁਰਮੁਖਿ ਸੁਖ ਫਲੁ ਅਲਖੁ ਲਖਾਇਆ ॥੫॥

Raving realized the supreme pleasure they have made others also realize the same.

Who Has Seen the Wind - Poem by Christina Rossetti

On its invisibility Christina Rossetti writes in her poem:

Who Has Seen the Wind

- Christina Rossetti

Who has seen the wind?

Neither I nor you.

But when the leaves hang trembling,

The wind is passing through.

Who has seen the wind?

Neither you nor I.

But when the trees bow down their heads,

The wind is passing by.

Notes on Saas Saas Simro Gobind - How to realize Pavan Guru (Guru Arjan)

Lock and Key are in the breath - Bhagat Kabir

Pavan Guru Pani Pita - Lyrics & Translation

Breath Ripens The Unripe Grapes Within

Pavan Guru - Song of the Wind

Pavan Guru - An opportunity to sing supremely sweet

Breath Ripens The Unripe Grapes Within

In the beginning of Shakespeare's Macbeth, (Act one, Scene one, line 12), the witches say, “Fair is foul and foul is fair.” Good and evil coexist together! Not a novel thought, but enlightening nevertheless. For centuries writers and philosophers have written about good and evil. The topic is as young today as it was in the Vedic times, during the birth of Christ or Muhammad, in Shakespearean times.

Why should we pass judgement on others based on their own biases, experiences, or beliefs? If we can instead have humility and empathy, and recognize that everyone has their own unique perspective, we would not pass judgement. We often do not know everything. We have limited information upon which we act. And we ourselves make mistakes. Everyone makes mistakes and has their own struggles and challenges, and it is important to show compassion and understanding towards others.

Additionally, judging others can be harmful, not only to the person being judged but also to us when are are judging. It can create feelings of resentment and animosity, and can lead to a lack of empathy and understanding. These feelings can eat our own souls.

And Guru Nanak says at the end of his sentinal composition, Japji Sahib:

The righteous one judges good and evil
Deeds make some close and others far

Pavan Guru - Shivpreet Singh

Kabir says in his popular couplet -

बुरा जो देखन मैं चला, बुरा न मिलिया कोई।
जो मन खोजा अपना, तो मुझसे बुरा न कोई ।।

When I tried looking outside, I couldn't find anyone dirty
When I saw my own heart, I found no one dirtier than me

Bible: Mathew 7:3

Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?”

Here is an excerpt from Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil is a non-fiction work by John Berendt. Published in 1994.

Midway through Jim Williams's second year in jail, Savannah more or less forgot about him. The city turned its attention to other topics. There was a good deal of talk, for example, about the divine intervention allegedly visited upon George Mercer 3d.

George Mercer 3d was a prominent businessman and the half-brother of the late Johnny Mercer. Mr. Mercer was leaving his house in Ardsley Park one evening to go to a dinner party when he suddenly realized he'd forgotten his car keys. He went back inside to get them. In the front hall he heard a voice say loud and clear, "George, you drink too much!"

Mr. Mercer turned around, but the hall was empty. "Who are you?" he asked. "And where are you?"
"I am the Lord," said the voice. "I am everywhere."

"Well, I know I drink more than I should," said Mr. Mercer, "but how do I know you're the Lord? If you really are, show me. Show me now. If you can prove to me you're God I'll never drink again." Suddenly, Mr. Mercer felt himself being lifted high in the air. Up over his house. Up over Ardsley Park. He was lifted so high he could look down and see all of Savannah -- the downtown squares, the river, Tybee Island and Hilton Head. And the voice said, "Have I proved to you that I am real?" Mr. Mercer declared then and there that he did believe, and the Lord put him back down in the front hall. George Mercer 3d never took another drink after that.

Even people who doubted the truth of that story had to admit that on a spiritual level at least something very strange was happening to Savannah's upper crust.

Posts related to Pavan Guru

Good and Evil coexist; who are we to judge?
Pavan Guru Pani Pita - Lyrics & Translation
Breath Ripens The Unripe Grapes Within
Pavan Guru - Song of the Wind
Pavan Guru - An opportunity to sing supremely sweet

The Other Place: Listening - the First Step Towards Bliss

Some More Poems on Listening

"Listening" by Naomi Shihab Nye:

"Listen" by Shel Silverstein:

"In the Still of the Night" by Langston Hughes:

"The Sound of Silence" by Paul Simon:

Guru Nanak's Suniye - By Rajesh Krishnan

The words

The music

Lyrics and Translation

Translation by Sant Kirpal Singh

Rhyming Translation of Pauri 20 by Swami Raama

Pavan Guru Pani Pita - Lyrics And Translation

Reflection - The song of the wind is my caretaker

Interpretation by Bhai Gurdas

Who Has Seen the Wind - Poem by Christina Rossetti

Posts related to Pavan Guru

SHIVPREET SINGH

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