Shivpreet Singh
Shivpreet Singh
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ਸਿਰੀਰਾਗੁ ॥
सिरीरागु ॥
Sirīrāg.
Sree Raag:

ਤੋਹੀ ਮੋਹੀ ਮੋਹੀ ਤੋਹੀ ਅੰਤਰੁ ਕੈਸਾ ॥
तोही मोही मोही तोही अंतरु कैसा ॥
Ŧohī mohī mohī ṯohī anṯar kaisā.
You are me, and I am You-what is the difference between us?

ਕਨਕ ਕਟਿਕ ਜਲ ਤਰੰਗ ਜੈਸਾ ॥੧॥
कनक कटिक जल तरंग जैसा ॥१॥
Kanak katik jal ṯarang jaisā. ||1||
We are like gold and the bracelet, or water and the waves. ||1||


ਜਉ ਪੈ ਹਮ ਨ ਪਾਪ ਕਰੰਤਾ ਅਹੇ ਅਨੰਤਾ ॥
जउ पै हम न पाप करंता अहे अनंता ॥
Ja▫o pai ham na pāp karanṯā ahe ananṯā.
If I did not commit any sins, O Infinite Lord,


ਪਤਿਤ ਪਾਵਨ ਨਾਮੁ ਕੈਸੇ ਹੁੰਤਾ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
पतित पावन नामु कैसे हुंता ॥१॥ रहाउ ॥
Paṯiṯ pāvan nām kaise hunṯā. ||1|| rahā▫o.
how would You have acquired the name, 'Redeemer of sinners'? ||1||Pause||


ਤੁਮ੍ਹ੍ਹ ਜੁ ਨਾਇਕ ਆਛਹੁ ਅੰਤਰਜਾਮੀ ॥
तुम्ह जु नाइक आछहु अंतरजामी ॥
Ŧumĥ jo nā▫ik ācẖẖahu anṯarjāmī.
You are my Master, the Inner-knower, Searcher of hearts.


ਪ੍ਰਭ ਤੇ ਜਨੁ ਜਾਨੀਜੈ ਜਨ ਤੇ ਸੁਆਮੀ ॥੨॥
प्रभ ते जनु जानीजै जन ते सुआमी ॥२॥
Parabẖ ṯe jan jānījai jan ṯe su▫āmī. ||2||
The servant is known by his God, and the Lord and Master is known by His servant. ||2||

ਸਰੀਰੁ ਆਰਾਧੈ ਮੋ ਕਉ ਬੀਚਾਰੁ ਦੇਹੂ ॥
सरीरु आराधै मो कउ बीचारु देहू ॥
Sarīr ārāḏẖai mo ka▫o bīcẖār ḏehū.
Grant me the wisdom to worship and adore You with my body.

ਰਵਿਦਾਸ ਸਮ ਦਲ ਸਮਝਾਵੈ ਕੋਊ ॥੩॥
रविदास सम दल समझावै कोऊ ॥३॥
Raviḏās sam ḏal samjẖāvai ko▫ū. ||3||
O Ravi Daas, one who understands that the Lord is equally in all, is very rare. ||3||
Har Bin Jio Jal Bal Jao

In Sri Guru Granth Sahib jee, after Sri Japji Sahib, comes Sri Raag, written by Sri Guru Nanak Sahib, below is the first shabad.


Lyrics for Har Bin Jeo Jal Bal Jao

(for Punjabi/Hindi lyrics and translation see below)
 
Rāg sirīrāg mėhlā pahilā 1 gẖar 1. 

Moṯī ṯa manḏar ūsrėh raṯnī ṯa hohi jaṛāo.
Kasṯūr kungū agar cẖanḏan līp āvai cẖāo.
Maṯ ḏekẖ bẖūlā vīsrai ṯerā cẖiṯ na āvai nāo. ||1||

Har bin jīo jal bal jāo.
Mai āpṇā gur pūcẖẖ ḏekẖiā avar nāhī thāo. ||1|| rahāo.

Ḏẖarṯī ṯa hīre lāl jaṛṯī palagẖ lāl jaṛāo.
Mohṇī mukẖ maṇī sohai kare rang pasāo.
Maṯ ḏekẖ bẖūlā vīsrai ṯerā cẖiṯ na āvai nāo. ||2||

Siḏẖ hovā siḏẖ lāī riḏẖ ākẖā āo.
Gupaṯ pargat hoe baisā lok rākẖai bẖāo.
Maṯ ḏekẖ bẖūlā vīsrai ṯerā cẖiṯ na āvai nāo. ||3||

Sulṯān hovā mel laskar ṯakẖaṯ rākẖā pāo.
Hukam hāsal karī baiṯẖā nānkā sabẖ vāo.
Maṯ ḏekẖ bẖūlā vīsrai ṯerā cẖiṯ na āvai nāo. ||4||1||

Translation of Har Bin Jeo Jal Bal Jao


Raag Siree Raag, First Mehl, First House: 

If I had a palace made of pearls, inlaid with jewels, 
scented with musk, saffron and sandalwood, a sheer delight to behold - 
seeing this, I might go astray and forget You, and Your Name would not enter into my mind. ||1|| 

Without the Lord, my soul is scorched and burnt. 
I consulted my Guru, and now I see that there is no other place at all. ||1||Pause|| 

If the floor of this palace was a mosaic of diamonds and rubies, and if my bed was encased with rubies, 
and if heavenly beauties, their faces adorned with emeralds, tried to entice me with sensual gestures of love - 
seeing these, I might go astray and forget You, and Your Name would not enter into my mind. ||2|| 

If I were to become a Siddha, and work miracles, summon wealth 
and become invisible and visible at will, so that people would hold me in awe - 
seeing these, I might go astray and forget You, and Your Name would not enter into my mind. ||3|| 

If I were to become an emperor and raise a huge army, and sit on a throne, 
issuing commands and collecting taxes-O Nanak, all of this could pass away like a puff of wind. 
Seeing these, I might go astray and forget You, and Your Name would not enter into my mind. ||4||1|| 


Lyrics and Translation 

ਰਾਗੁ ਸਿਰੀਰਾਗੁ ਮਹਲਾ ਪਹਿਲਾ ੧ ਘਰੁ ੧ ॥
राग श्रीराग महला पहिला १ घर १ ॥
Rāg sirīrāg mėhlā pahilā 1 gẖar 1.

ਮੋਤੀ ਤ ਮੰਦਰ ਊਸਰਹਿ ਰਤਨੀ ਤ ਹੋਹਿ ਜੜਾਉ ॥
मोती त मंदर ऊसरह रतनी त होए जड़ाओ॥
Moṯī ṯa manḏar ūsrėh raṯnī ṯa hohi jaṛāo.
If I had a palace made of pearls, inlaid with jewels,

ਕਸਤੂਰਿ ਕੁੰਗੂ ਅਗਰਿ ਚੰਦਨਿ ਲੀਪਿ ਆਵੈ ਚਾਉ ॥
कसतूर कुंगू अगर चंदन लीप आवै चाओ ॥
Kasṯūr kungū agar cẖanḏan līp āvai cẖāo.
scented with musk, saffron and sandalwood, a sheer delight to behold -

ਮਤੁ ਦੇਖਿ ਭੂਲਾ ਵੀਸਰੈ ਤੇਰਾ ਚਿਤਿ ਨ ਆਵੈ ਨਾਉ ॥੧॥
मत देख भूला वीसरै तेरा चित न आवै नाओ ॥१॥
Maṯ ḏekẖ bẖūlā vīsrai ṯerā cẖiṯ na āvai nāo. ||1||
seeing this, I might go astray and forget You, and Your Name would not enter into my mind. ||1||


ਹਰਿ ਬਿਨੁ ਜੀਉ ਜਲਿ ਬਲਿ ਜਾਉ ॥
हर बिन जीओ जल बल जाओ ॥
Har bin jīo jal bal jāo.
Without the Lord, my soul is scorched and burnt.


ਮੈ ਆਪਣਾ ਗੁਰੁ ਪੂਛਿ ਦੇਖਿਆ ਅਵਰੁ ਨਾਹੀ ਥਾਉ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
मै आपणा गुर पूछ देखिआ अवर नाही थाओ ॥१॥ रहाउ ॥
Mai āpṇā gur pūcẖẖ ḏekẖiā avar nāhī thāo. ||1|| rahāo.
I consulted my Guru, and now I see that there is no other place at all. ||1||Pause||



ਧਰਤੀ ਤ ਹੀਰੇ ਲਾਲ ਜੜਤੀ ਪਲਘਿ ਲਾਲ ਜੜਾਉ ॥
धरती ता हीरे लाल जड़ती पलंग लाल जड़ाओ ॥
Ḏẖarṯī ṯa hīre lāl jaṛṯī palagẖ lāl jaṛāo.
If the floor of this palace was a mosaic of diamonds and rubies, and if my bed was encased with rubies,
ਮੋਹਣੀ ਮੁਖਿ ਮਣੀ ਸੋਹੈ ਕਰੇ ਰੰਗਿ ਪਸਾਉ ॥
मोहणी मुख मणी सोहै करे रंग पसाओ ॥
Mohṇī mukẖ maṇī sohai kare rang pasāo.
and if heavenly beauties, their faces adorned with emeralds, tried to entice me with sensual gestures of love -

ਮਤੁ ਦੇਖਿ ਭੂਲਾ ਵੀਸਰੈ ਤੇਰਾ ਚਿਤਿ ਨ ਆਵੈ ਨਾਉ ॥੨॥
मत देख भूला वीसरै तेरा चित न आवै नाओ ॥२॥
Maṯ ḏekẖ bẖūlā vīsrai ṯerā cẖiṯ na āvai nāo. ||2||
seeing these, I might go astray and forget You, and Your Name would not enter into my mind. ||2||


ਸਿਧੁ ਹੋਵਾ ਸਿਧਿ ਲਾਈ ਰਿਧਿ ਆਖਾ ਆਉ ॥
सिध होवा सिध लाई रिध आखा आओ ॥
Siḏẖ hovā siḏẖ lāī riḏẖ ākẖā āo.
If I were to become a Siddha, and work miracles, summon wealth


ਗੁਪਤੁ ਪਰਗਟੁ ਹੋਇ ਬੈਸਾ ਲੋਕੁ ਰਾਖੈ ਭਾਉ ॥
गुपत परगट होए बैसा लोक राखै भाओ ॥
Gupaṯ pargat hoe baisā lok rākẖai bẖāo.
and become invisible and visible at will, so that people would hold me in awe -


ਮਤੁ ਦੇਖਿ ਭੂਲਾ ਵੀਸਰੈ ਤੇਰਾ ਚਿਤਿ ਨ ਆਵੈ ਨਾਉ ॥੩॥
मत देख भूला वीसरै तेरा चित न आवै नाओ ॥३॥
Maṯ ḏekẖ bẖūlā vīsrai ṯerā cẖiṯ na āvai nāo. ||3||
seeing these, I might go astray and forget You, and Your Name would not enter into my mind. ||3||


ਸੁਲਤਾਨੁ ਹੋਵਾ ਮੇਲਿ ਲਸਕਰ ਤਖਤਿ ਰਾਖਾ ਪਾਉ ॥
सुलतान होवा मेल लसकर तखत राखा पाओ ॥
Sulṯān hovā mel laskar ṯakẖaṯ rākẖā pāo.
If I were to become an emperor and raise a huge army, and sit on a throne,

ਹੁਕਮੁ ਹਾਸਲੁ ਕਰੀ ਬੈਠਾ ਨਾਨਕਾ ਸਭ ਵਾਉ ॥
हुकम हासल करी बैठा नानका सभ वाओ ॥
Hukam hāsal karī baiṯẖā nānkā sabẖ vāo.
issuing commands and collecting taxes-O Nanak, all of this could pass away like a puff of wind.


ਮਤੁ ਦੇਖਿ ਭੂਲਾ ਵੀਸਰੈ ਤੇਰਾ ਚਿਤਿ ਨ ਆਵੈ ਨਾਉ ॥੪॥੧॥
मत देख भूला वीसरै तेरा चित न आवै नाओ ॥४॥१॥
Maṯ ḏekẖ bẖūlā vīsrai ṯerā cẖiṯ na āvai nāo. ||4||1||
Seeing these, I might go astray and forget You, and Your Name would not enter into my mind. ||4||1||




Har Bin Jeo Jal Bal Jao

Raag Shree is also called Raag Shreerag, Shriraag, Sriraag, Shree, Shri, Sree, or Sri. In Guru Granth Sahib the name of this raag includes the word "raag" so it is called "Raag Sriraag,"
We are all mourning the untimely loss of Deputy Sandeep Singh Dhaliwal. As an American Sikh, a son, a husband and especially as a father of three beautiful kids, I can relate to him and cannot imagine the loss his family is enduring. Yesterday I came back from work to spend time with my three kids, he didn't and never again will.

Image result for sandeep singh dhaliwal photo

Sandeep also reminds me how to remember Naam, remembering Oneness, the simple but elusive teaching of Guru Nanak. However simple this teaching may seem, it is not easy to put in action.  "Saying 'Naam' is hard," reminds Guru Nanak in Raag Asa. Service to your community is one way of remembering "Naam"and Sandeep showed so well how to remember Naam.

Adrian Garcia, the Harris County police commissioner remembered him in the way the Guru Nanak would want any Sikh to be remembered, "This guy had a heart of gold."

Towards the end of Guru Nanak's meditation "Japji" he explains how to build this heart of gold in this poem:

Jat pāhārā dhīraj suni-ār.
Let self-control be the furnace, and patience the goldsmith.
aharaṉ mat vayd hathī-ār.
Let understanding be the anvil, and spiritual wisdom the tools.
bha-u khalā agan tap tā-u.
With the Fear of God as the bellows, fan the flames of tapa, the body’s inner heat.
bhānḏā bhā-u amrit tit ḏhāl.
In the crucible of love, melt the Nectar of the Name,
ghaṟī-ai sabad sachī ṯakasāl.
and mint the True Coin of the Shabad, the Word of God.
jin ka-u nadar karam tin kār.
Such is the karma of those upon whom He has cast His Glance of Grace.
nānak nadarī nadar nihāl. ||38||
O Nānak, the Merciful Lord, by His Grace, uplifts and exalts them. ||38||

Sikhs will always have the deepest gratitude to the department that changed its formal police department policy to allow Sandeep to serve with his Turban and beard.  We will also have the deepest gratitude to our fellow countrymen who are giving Sandeep a befitting farewell. We will never get Sandeep back, and his young family suffers an unbearable loss.  We are left here to remember "Naam" like Guru Nanak reminds us and like Sandeep inspires us through his lifelong service. Waheguru! Waheguru! Waheguru!

Please donate to the Deputy Sandeep Singh Dhaliwal Fund if you already haven't: https://www.gofundme.com/f/deputy-sandeep-singh-dhaliwal-scholarship-fund

Here is a playlist of a video about this trailblazing Gurmukh followed by some meditative Gurbani verses and simran. This include five new shabads recorded to celebrate the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak.


I heard some people got together today in Kartarpur to commemorate the 480th death anniversary of Guru Nanak. This reminds me of this incident with my grandfather, Papaji and his brother, Chachaji.  While Chachaji who was only two years younger to Papaji, he was a lot more active and seemed a lot more younger. They had a very funny and frank relationship.  So that day, Chachaji reminded Papaji that he should write his will, just in case "something" happens. He also suggested that he should leave Chachaji instructions on how to execute the will.  Papaji thought about it for a bit, and with a straight face quipped, "Who knows if I will die first or you?" It left Chachaji startled and it became a story that was told and retold in the family. I remember Papaji very sad remembering this when Chachaji actually died suddenly while Papaji was around.

Coincidently, recently I completed an album that includes 5 poems of Guru Nanak that deal with death. In the first line of the first poem, Guru Nanak says, "Who can we really complain to? God doesn't ask anyone before he takes someone away."

"So God lives in the colors around us," said my 5 year old daughter when she heard this shabad by Guru Nanak. Lyrics and Translations are at the end. 


An alternate read of this shabad: 


My Lord and Master is filled with love. His love is everywhere and in everything.
He is the one who enjoys, and He is also the enjoyment itself. He captures everyone's heart.
He is like both the bride and the groom in a wedding. He is like the fisherman and the fish, the water, and the net. He loves in many different ways. He is my Beloved, and He brings joy to all.
Nanak prays, please listen to my prayer: You are like a peaceful pool, and You are the graceful swan.
You are like a beautiful lotus in the daytime and a lovely water-lily at night. You see and experience everything and bloom with happiness.

Discovering Divine Unity With Guru Nanak

The poem by Guru Nanak beautifully encapsulates the idea of oneness with all creation and the presence of God within this unity. Guru Nanak's verses emphasize the omnipresence of God, suggesting that God is not a distant entity but rather an intrinsic part of every aspect of existence. This concept aligns with the broader spiritual belief that we are interconnected with all living beings and the entire universe, and that the divine essence can be found within this interconnectedness.

God is the ultimate source of love and enjoyment, permeating and pervading all. This imagery signifies that every aspect of creation is infused with the divine presence. When Guru Nanak describes God as both the bride and bridegroom, the fisherman and the fish, or the water and the net, it symbolizes the idea that God is not separate from these elements but rather the essence that animates them. This mirrors the belief that God is not just present in grand moments or holy places but is inherent in the everyday, mundane aspects of life. It implies that recognizing God's presence requires a shift in perspective, a realization that divinity is not something to be sought externally but rather discovered within the interconnected fabric of existence.

The poem also touches upon the theme of love and devotion. Guru Nanak's depiction of God's love for all beings and the soul-brides' longing for God reinforces the idea that the divine connection is deeply personal and accessible to all. It suggests that by recognizing the oneness of all creation, individuals can experience a profound connection with God, much like a soul-bride's union with her Beloved. This spiritual union implies that when we see the divine within ourselves and others, we can cultivate a sense of unity, compassion, and love, reinforcing the belief that God resides within the oneness of creation itself.

In essence through this poem I am reminded that I am not separate from the universe or from God. I am interconnected with all of creation and the presence of God within this oneness.

Lyrics and Alternative Translation


ਸਿਰੀਰਾਗੁ ਮਹਲਾ ੧ ਘਰੁ ਦੂਜਾ ੨ ॥
सिरीरागु महला १ घरु दूजा २ ॥
Sirīrāg mėhlā 1 gẖar ḏūjā 2.
Siree Raag, First Mehl, Second House:


ਆਪੇ ਰਸੀਆ ਆਪਿ ਰਸੁ ਆਪੇ ਰਾਵਣਹਾਰੁ ॥
आपे रसीआ आपि रसु आपे रावणहारु ॥
Āpe rasī ā āp ras āpe ravaṇhār.
He Himself is the Enjoyer, and He Himself is the Enjoyment. He Himself is the Ravisher of all.

ਆਪੇ ਹੋਵੈ ਚੋਲੜਾ ਆਪੇ ਸੇਜ ਭਤਾਰੁ ॥੧॥
आपे होवै चोलड़ा आपे सेज भतारु ॥१॥
Āpe hovai cẖolṛā āpe sej bẖaṯār. ||1||
He Himself is the Bride in her dress, He Himself is the Bridegroom on the bed. ||1||


ਰੰਗਿ ਰਤਾ ਮੇਰਾ ਸਾਹਿਬੁ ਰਵਿ ਰਹਿਆ ਭਰਪੂਰਿ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
रंगि रता मेरा साहिबु रवि रहिआ भरपूरि ॥१॥ रहाउ ॥
Rang raṯā merā sāhib rav rahiā bẖarpūr. ||1|| rahā o.
My Lord and Master is imbued with love; He is totally permeating and pervading all. ||1||Pause||


ਆਪੇ ਮਾਛੀ ਮਛੁਲੀ ਆਪੇ ਪਾਣੀ ਜਾਲੁ ॥
आपे माछी मछुली आपे पाणी जालु ॥
Āpe mācẖẖī macẖẖulī āpe pāṇī jāl.
He Himself is the fisherman and the fish; He Himself is the water and the net.

ਆਪੇ ਜਾਲ ਮਣਕੜਾ ਆਪੇ ਅੰਦਰਿ ਲਾਲੁ ॥੨॥
आपे जाल मणकड़ा आपे अंदरि लालु ॥२॥
Āpe jāl maṇkaṛā āpe anḏar lāl. ||2||
He Himself is the sinker, and He Himself is the bait. ||2||

ਆਪੇ ਬਹੁ ਬਿਧਿ ਰੰਗੁਲਾ ਸਖੀਏ ਮੇਰਾ ਲਾਲੁ ॥
आपे बहु बिधि रंगुला सखीए मेरा लालु ॥
Āpe baho biḏẖ rangulā sakẖī e merā lāl.
He Himself loves in so many ways. O sister soul-brides, He is my Beloved.

ਨਿਤ ਰਵੈ ਸੋਹਾਗਣੀ ਦੇਖੁ ਹਮਾਰਾ ਹਾਲੁ ॥੩॥
नित रवै सोहागणी देखु हमारा हालु ॥३॥
Niṯ ravai sohāgaṇī ḏekẖ hamārā hāl. ||3||
He continually ravishes and enjoys the happy soul-brides; just look at the plight I am in without Him! ||3||

ਪ੍ਰਣਵੈ ਨਾਨਕੁ ਬੇਨਤੀ ਤੂ ਸਰਵਰੁ ਤੂ ਹੰਸੁ ॥
प्रणवै नानकु बेनती तू सरवरु तू हंसु ॥
Paraṇvai Nānak benṯī ṯū sarvar ṯū hans.
Prays Nanak, please hear my prayer: You are the pool, and You are the soul-swan.

ਕਉਲੁ ਤੂ ਹੈ ਕਵੀਆ ਤੂ ਹੈ ਆਪੇ ਵੇਖਿ ਵਿਗਸੁ ॥੪॥੨੫॥
कउलु तू है कवीआ तू है आपे वेखि विगसु ॥४॥२५॥
Ka ul ṯū hai kavī ā ṯū hai āpe vekẖ vigas. ||4||25||
You are the lotus flower of the day and You are the water-lily of the night. You Yourself behold them, and blossom forth in bliss. ||4||25||

When I Was the Forest

When I was the stream, when I was the
forest, when I was still the field,
when I was every hoof, foot,
fin and wing, when I
was the sky
itself,

no one ever asked me did I have a purpose, no one ever
wondered was there anything I might need,
for there was nothing
I could not
love.

It was when I left all we once were that
the agony began, the fear and questions came,
and I wept, I wept. And tears
I had never known
before.

So I returned to the river, I returned to
the mountains. I asked for their hand in marriage again,
I begged—I begged to wed every object
and creature,

and when they accepted,
God was ever present in my arms.
And He did not say,
“Where have you
been?”

For then I knew my soul—every soul—
has always held
Him.

–Meister Eckhart (1260 – 1328)

Meister Eckhart was a German theologian, philosopher and mystic who lived in the 13th and 14th centuries. He is considered one of the most important figures of Christian mysticism and his works influenced later German mystics and philosophers. He is famous for his sermons and mystical writings that explored the nature of the soul's union with God. 

An excerpt from "35 simple ways of being beautiful"

Written by Lori Deschene 

There are times when, like Alexander, I’m having a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. Times when it seems like I might get swept into the tornado of chaos around me. Times when the voice in my head is unkind, and I interpret everything that happens through a negative filter. When I think the worst of people and complain about it; when I expect the worst of my day and lament it.

This admission might seem like the biggest possible acknowledgment of hypocrisy, but I have nothing to give if not my honesty. And the reality is I am imperfect. We all are. We all have moments of weakness—but they’ll only define us if they far surpass moments of kindness, compassion, love, and strength.

Being beautiful doesn’t mean adhering to some picture-perfect fantasy, or living every moment that way. It means realizing this moment is a new opportunity to be who you want to be, and making the effort to seize it.



What Guru Nanak Dev taught

By Ram Lingam 


This small piece of writing is simply inadequate to do any justice to the standing of Shri SatGuru Nanak Devji or his teachings. To get to know the life story of this great Guru and his teachings is a journey that helps recognise the trivialities of life and acquire the knowledge of our true divine nature which we seem to miss constantly. 

Though not born into a Sikh family, I was fortunate to discover Guru Nanak Devji’s sublime teachings through a music album called ‘Ashram Bhajanavali’, which is a collection of devotional songs that formed part of the morning and evening prayers at Gandhiji’s ashrams. Of the many bhajans, there was Guru Nanak Devji’s song “Kaahe re ban khojan jaai…Sarab nivaasi sadaa alepaa tohi sang samaai” which caught my attention. Just reading the translation of this song, I got seriously educated on Guru Nanak Devji’s teachings and also about Sikh faith, which to me became much more than the dress code of the faithful. Even so the ‘langar’ that I enjoyed in the company of my Sikh friends at the Gurudwara certainly became sanctified.

The translation of this transforming song “Kaahe re ban khojan jaai’ goes “Why do you go looking for God in the forest? Although he is ever detached, he dwells everywhere. He even abides with you. Like the fragrance which remains in the flower, and like the reflection in the mirror, the Lord dwells deep within all. Therefore search for Him within your own heart, O brother. The Guru has imparted this wisdom: outside the body and inside the body, know that there is only the One Lord pervading everywhere. O servant Nanak, without realizing one’s own True Self, the moss of doubt i.e. ignorance of one's True Nature or Essential Being, etc.cannot be eradicated from the mind.”

Guru Nanak Devji taught the absolute unity of God; everything is God, and everything is dependent on the will of God. The Guru’s life story is full of saintly actions and divine events that teach us to lead a pure life, to be a ‘Sikh’, a sincere disciple and to receive the grace of the Guru for self-unfoldment. The word ‘Sikh’ means ‘disciple’ or student. The term "Sikh" has its origin in Sanskrit term ‘Sisya’ meaning "disciple, student" or ‘siksa’ meaning "instruction" according to the ‘The Illustrated History of the Sikhs’ by Khushwant Singh. The word ‘Sikh’ means ‘disciple’ and they are the disciples of God who follow the writings and teachings of the 10 Sikh Gurus.

The origins of Sikhism lie in the spiritual and social teachings of Guru Nanak Devji, which can be found in the Sikh scripture Guru Granth Sahib, a vast collection of revelatory verses recorded in Gurmukhi. Guru Nanak Devji taught that the way to connect with the Supreme is not through the mind or through rituals, but through Guru’s grace and direct personal experience. Therefore, he emphasised meditation on the Name (Naam) and Presence of God.

Guru Nanak Devji has given a beautiful summary of his teachings in one of his hymns where he says: “Love the saints of every faith: Put away thy pride. Remember the essence of religion is meekness and sympathy, not fine clothes, not the Yogi’s garb and ashes, not the blowing of the horns, not the shaven head, not long prayers, not recitations and torturings, not the ascetic way, but a life of goodness and purity, amid the world’s temptations.”

Here are given some famous sayings of Guru Nanak Devji
• "There is but One God, His name is Truth, He is the Creator, He fears none, He is without hate, He never dies, He is beyond the cycle of births and death, He is self illuminated, He is realised by the kindness of the True Guru…" (Japji)
• Even Kings and emperors with heaps of wealth and vast dominion cannot compare with an ant filled with the love of God. 
• God is one, but he has innumerable forms. He is the creator of all and He himself takes the human form. 
• I am neither a child, a young man, nor an ancient; nor am I of any caste. 
• I am not the born; how can there be either birth or death for me? 
• I bow at His Feet constantly, and pray to Him, the Guru, the True Guru, has shown me the Way. 
• Let no man in the world live in delusion. Without a Guru none can cross over to the other shore.

These sayings just give us a glimpse of his humility, his holiness, his message of universality and equality. The core teachings attributed to Guru Nanak are that there is only one God, and that all human beings can have direct access to divinity without empty rituals or priests. His most radical social teachings denounced the degenerated caste system and taught that everyone is equal, regardless of caste or gender. 

Sometimes I find myself in a song. 
But I love being lost in a song more. 
Raag Sri is about being found. Raag Dhanasri is about being lost. Each color has it's own charm. 

John Steinbeck was  probably thinking of Amazing Grace when he said this. 
1.	Amazing grace! How sweet the sound 
	that saved a wretch like me! 
	I once was lost, but now am found; 
	was blind, but now I see. 

2.	'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear, 
	and grace my fears relieved; 
	how precious did that grace appear 
	the hour I first believed. 

3.	Through many dangers, toils, and snares, 
	I have already come; 
	'tis grace hath brought me safe thus far, 
	and grace will lead me home. 

4.	The Lord has promised good to me, 
	his word my hope secures; 
	he will my shield and portion be, 
	as long as life endures. 

5.	Yea, when this flesh and heart shall fail, 
	and mortal life shall cease, 
	I shall possess, within the veil, 
	a life of joy and peace. 

6.	When we've been there ten thousand years, 
	bright shining as the sun, 
	we've no less days to sing God's praise 
	than when we first begun. 

Bracelets

each one made of gold
but each one
beautiful like no other

songs are beautiful
when they are made
with love

but their elegance
touches something
inside the chest
when they are unique

without any hesitation
sing your own song shiv



Flickr sandwich art by David LaFerriere
Happy hog (Picture: Flickr / David Laferriere)
A loving father has livened up lunch time for his children by decorating their sandwich bags with imaginative artwork.
Artistic David LaFerriere started doing the sketches five years ago for his sons Evan, 15, and Kenny, 14.
Flickr sandwich art by David LaFerriere
Monster breakfast cereal (Picture: Flickr / David Laferriere)
While the brothers may have reached their teens, the pair are yet to outgrow their father’s weird and wonderful sandwich art created using a Sharpie markers.
‘I’ve been doing it for my kids since they were little,’ the graphic designer told Flickr where he has uploaded the sketches daily since May 2008.
Flickr sandwich art by David LaFerriere
RAWR (Picture: Flickr / David Laferriere)
‘It was just a way to have fun with the kids and also start my creative juices before work. I had already been making their lunches, and I experimented with a few things.
‘They love it, and nothing makes me happier than hearing their reaction at the end of the day.’
Flickr sandwich art by David LaFerriere
Boxy (Picture: Flickr / David Laferriere)
The Massachusetts resident began sharing the photos online as a way of documenting the artwork which began with the designer attempting to draw directly onto the bread using food colouring (unsuccessfully).
‘At first it was just red and black markers,’ David says. ‘Then I got more colours and got more creative.
‘It’s been almost five years now, and it’s like 1,082 bags and counting.’
Flickr sandwich art by David LaFerriere
Creature 13W (Picture: Flickr / David Laferriere)
After his work featured on the official Sharpie blog he began to be contacted by people from all over the world impressed with the artwork.
‘In November 2012, I probably I had 100,000 views total in four years,’ he says.
‘Then I started getting noticed more and more and in February of 2013, it got doubled to 600,000. It’s just incredible!’
What do you think of the artwork? Leave your comments below. 
Check out more of the artwork here 
Flickr sandwich art by David LaFerriere
Seuss (Picture: Flickr / David Laferriere)
Improvisation

Simple tunes carry an elegance
that averts any need
but begs to be
scintillated

After Mozart has played
a melody he repeats
it a second time,
in a different
swagger

Roses of this season
are not the same.
each has its
saunter

When beauty is repeated
as on a page of music
again and again
it loses some
shine

A drift of uniquely petaled
notes wisps off casual
melodies to make
it special
shiv

I was delighted when spring was broken
today by a rain shower; it felt like
the door to the gas chamber had shattered

I opened the windows and doors
after a long time of imprisonment
inviting in unpollinated air with its scent

when you are devastated by storm
you like water. and if you are deluged
by a flood, it must be that you prefer air

sometimes air, sometimes water, shiv
you are the miscreant with wisdom
trying to break open through the ribs.


Five reads

When the sun rises
From between the two hills
I have read hope in the morning

I know the flowers must
Be blooming on the slopes
For I have read the breeze

I have read the first Bite
of the reddest cherry
Before the wild birds

I have read the beautiful
Call of the blackbirds
Before the day ends

Above all, your mind,
shiv's song has read,
As it reads mine.

http://youtu.be/GWeusAm_V8c

Who Am I?
BY CARL SANDBURG

My head knocks against the stars.
My feet are on the hilltops.
My finger-tips are in the valleys and shores of universal life.
Down in the sounding foam of primal things I reach my hands and play with pebbles of destiny.
I have been to hell and back many times.
I know all about heaven, for I have talked with God.
I dabble in the blood and guts of the terrible.
I know the passionate seizure of beauty
And the marvelous rebellion of man at all signs reading "Keep Off."

My name is Truth and I am the most elusive captive in the universe.

Source: Poetry (March 1914).

This is the first time I have read Sandburg so I listened to this documentary:


First the poem and then the analysis of this beautiful poem by Hoagland:



The Question

"We are what is missing from the world"
     -Fernando Pessoa

Some questions have no answer.
Raised, they hang there in the mind
Like open mouths, full of something missing.
The great Portuguese poet, Pessoa,
Said that the idea of happiness
Is what makes men permanently sad.
The body, imagining the soul,
Looks ugly to itself.
A man hears a word, and the world
Becomes a place that he misunderstands.
So he climbs high into his life,
Ashamed of all he doesn't know,
And refuses to come down.

If you could coax him out again,
You could tell him, say,
That anything can be explained.
The shape of apples, for example,
By their love of travel.
Or that the sky is blue because
It's an easy color on the eyes.

Even the dog, chasing its tail,
Has, temporarily, a center.
Even the bird, disappearing into his hole
Knows that the world goes on without it.
And Pessoa, that eminently healthy man,
That artist, wore a blue wool hat
Even on the hottest summer days.
Simply to toss at strangers in the street.
He liked to see them catch it,
And grow immediately less strange.

     -Tony Hoagland

My Ruminations

In the beginning, Tony Hoagland says, there are no answers to some questions.  He is not clever not answering the questions, he is clever in not even divulging the questions.  

Then he gives an example of such a question -- What makes us sad? Or why do we become sad.  Pessoa said it was because of the presence of the idea of happiness.  That we know there is such a thing as happiness -- something far from us, something we have to hope and pray for -- makes us feel bad about not having it.  That is why, Pessoa says we were sad.  

Just like we have a body, but we desire something more -- a soul -- something up higher, something out in the future, something intangible.  We might not be sure, but we can believe and trust, and be happy that one day we will know the soul.  And we are miserable because we don't yet know it or have it.  But the question is are we really sad because of that? Do we have an answer to that question?

When a person doesn't understand something, he "climbs high into his life" -- perhaps to look for answers.   We can try to coax him into coming back to this world by promising him answers to questions: like apples have the shape that they have because they like to travel, and that the sky is blue because it is an easy color to the eye.  He knows these answers are wrong, so he is not convinced.  He continues to want to learn. To climb higher and higher. The craziness of man continues.  

I think the elusive questions that Tony Hoagland talks about in the first line are: Who are you and why are you here?  The questions that philosophers and poets have asked for ages.  We are crazy enough to climb high in our lives and think that the world cannot go without us, but it can.  Even a bird, with less intelligence, knows that when it goes inside its nest, nothing changes in the world.  Even a dog, also less intelligence than man, revolves around a center while crazily chasing its tail.  But man remains eccentric.  He does not know who he is, where he comes from, where he is going, what is his purpose -- and he goes from one place to another, thinking he is climbing higher and higher, and you cannot bring him back by simple answers.  He is unsatisfied with the answers -- which are obviously wrong -- but unsatisfied also with uncertainty -- so he keeps climbing. 

In the end Hoagland talks about strangeness -- the questions that we cannot answer.  Strangeness cannot completely go away, but we can make things less strange.  Like we can throw hats at strangers and let them catch it.  We cannot completely answer the questions, but we should be engage with people -- it could make us live better with the questions we have.  Perhaps in loosing the strangeness, he has accepted the strangeness as his own. 

Some questions cannot be answered.  The acceptance of strangeness maybe an answer.

More on Who am I: Who am I? 

Lets take the question of "Who am I?"  What is the answer?  

There are some who would say we are nothing.  See Emily Dickinson's I am nobody.  
I'm nobody! Who are you?Are you nobody, too?

There are some who see themselves in all -- Walt Whitman's 
What is a man anyhow? what am I? what are you? ...
In all people I see myself, none more and not one a barley-corn less, And the good or bad I say of myself I say of them. 
I know I am solid and sound, To me the converging objects of the universe perpetually flow, All are written to me, and I must get what the writing means. 
I know I am deathless, I know this orbit of mine cannot be swept by a carpenter's compass, I know I shall not pass like a child's carlacue cut with a burnt stick at night. 
Bhagat Ravidas also sees himself in everyone: "I am you, you are me"
We are like waves and the sea
I am you, and you are me

But one of the poems that comes closest to the essence of the "question" is Bulleh Shah's poem "Bulla ki jaana main kaun" where he says "Who knows who I am?" Bulleh shah accepts the strangeness in the world. 





This is poem #20 from Walt Whitman's long poem "Song of Myself." I have bolded some items.


Who goes there? hankering, gross, mystical, nude;
How is it I extract strength from the beef I eat?

What is a man anyhow? what am I? what are you?
All I mark as my own you shall offset it with your own,
Else it were time lost listening to me.

I do not snivel that snivel the world over,
That months are vacuums and the ground but wallow and filth.

Whimpering and truckling fold with powders for invalids, conformity
goes to the fourth-remov'd,
I wear my hat as I please indoors or out.

Why should I pray? why should I venerate and be ceremonious?

Having pried through the strata, analyzed to a hair, counsel'd with
doctors and calculated close,
I find no sweeter fat than sticks to my own bones.

In all people I see myself, none more and not one a barley-corn less,
And the good or bad I say of myself I say of them.

I know I am solid and sound, To me the converging objects of the universe perpetually flow,
All are written to me, and I must get what the writing means.

I know I am deathless, I know this orbit of mine cannot be swept by a carpenter's compass,
I know I shall not pass like a child's carlacue cut with a burnt
stick at night.

I know I am august, I do not trouble my spirit to vindicate itself or be understood,
I see that the elementary laws never apologize,
(I reckon I behave no prouder than the level I plant my house by,
after all.)

I exist as I am, that is enough, If no other in the world be aware I sit content,
And if each and all be aware I sit content.

One world is aware and by far the largest to me, and that is myself,
And whether I come to my own to-day or in ten thousand or ten
million years,
I can cheerfully take it now, or with equal cheerfulness I can wait.

My foothold is tenon'd and mortis'd in granite,
I laugh at what you call dissolution,
And I know the amplitude of time.
WHAT am I, after all, but a child, pleas’d with the sound of my own name? repeating it over and over;
I stand apart to hear—it never tires me.
  
To you, your name also;
Did you think there was nothing but two or three pronunciations in the sound of your name?

 

There was a child went forth every day,
And the first object he looked upon and received with
wonder or pity or love or dread, that object he became,
And that object became part of him for the day or a certain
part of the day . . . or for many years or stretching
cycles of years.

The early lilacs became part of this child,
And grass, and white and red morning-glories, and white and
red clover, and the song of the phoebe-bird,
And the March-born lambs, and the sow’s pink-faint litter,
and the mare’s foal, and the cow’s calf, and the noisy
brood of the barnyard or by the mire of the pond-side
. . . and the fish suspending themselves so curiously
below there . . . and the beautiful curious liquid . . . and
the water-plants with their graceful flat heads . . . all
became part of him.

from "There Was A Child Went Forth"
by Walt Whitman
Who am I?

Tohi Mohi Mohi Tohi Antar Kaisa?
You are me, and I am You
what is the difference between us?
We are like gold and the bracelet,
We are like water and the waves.

If I did not commit any sins, O Infinite Lord,
how would You have acquired the name, 'Redeemer of sinners'? ||1||Pause||

You are my Master, the Inner-knower, Searcher of hearts.
The servant is known by his God, and the Lord and Master is known by His servant. ||2||

Grant me the wisdom to worship and adore You with my body.
O Ravi Daas, one who understands that the Lord is equally in all, is very rare. ||3||

****
Indian classical rendition of this beautiful poem in Raag Sri:

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SHIVPREET SINGH

Singing oneness!
- Shivpreet Singh

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