16. Baani Kabir Ji Ki: Ang 337

Ang 337: Shri Guru Granth Sahib Ji Maharaj
Baani Kabir Ji Ki

ਗਉੜੀ ॥

ਰਾਮ  ਜਪਉ  ਜੀਅ  ਐਸੇ  ਐਸੇ  ॥ ਧ੍ਰੂ  ਪ੍ਰਹਿਲਾਦ  ਜਪਿਓ  ਹਰਿ  ਜੈਸੇ  ॥੧॥

ਦੀਨ  ਦਇਆਲ  ਭਰੋਸੇ  ਤੇਰੇ  ॥ ਸਭੁ  ਪਰਵਾਰੁ  ਚੜਾਇਆ  ਬੇੜੇ  ॥੧॥  ਰਹਾਉ  ॥

ਜਾ  ਤਿਸੁ  ਭਾਵੈ  ਤਾ  ਹੁਕਮੁ  ਮਨਾਵੈ  ॥ ਇਸ  ਬੇੜੇ  ਕਉ  ਪਾਰਿ  ਲਘਾਵੈ  ॥੨॥

ਗੁਰ  ਪਰਸਾਦਿ  ਐਸੀ  ਬੁਧਿ  ਸਮਾਨੀ  ॥ ਚੂਕਿ  ਗਈ  ਫਿਰਿ  ਆਵਨ  ਜਾਨੀ  ॥੩॥

ਕਹੁ ਕਬੀਰ ਭਜੁ  ਸਾਰਿਗਪਾਨੀ  ॥ ਉਰਵਾਰਿ  ਪਾਰਿ  ਸਭ  ਏਕੋ  ਦਾਨੀ  ॥੪॥੨॥੧੦॥੬੧॥

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गउड़ी ॥

राम जपउ जीअ ऐसे ऐसे ॥ ध्रू प्रहिलाद जपिओ हरि जैसे ॥१॥

दीन दइआल भरोसे तेरे ॥ सभु परवारु चड़ाइआ बेड़े ॥१॥ रहाउ ॥

जा तिसु भावै ता हुकमु मनावै ॥ इस बेड़े कउ पारि लघावै ॥२॥

गुर परसादि ऐसी बुधि समानी ॥ चूकि गई फिरि आवन जानी ॥३॥

कहु कबीर भजु सारिगपानी ॥ उरवारि पारि सभ एको दानी ॥४॥२॥१०॥६१॥

Summary

Dhan Shri Guru Teg Bhadur Ji says:

ਇਹ ਜਗਿ ਮੀਤੁ ਨ ਦੇਖਿਓ ਕੋਈ ॥[1]

इह जगि मीतु न देखिओ कोई ॥

(In this world, I have not found any true friend.)

With no ‘True Friends’, who will an indiviudal trust, how far he can put trust on others? Thus, initial journey towards ‘Spiritual Path - Sikhi’ hurts and most of us tend to abandon faith in the beginning. But one who continues confines him to himself and eventually he entrusts ‘The One’. In this ‘Shabad’ Kabir Ji gives glimpse of such faith and trust.

Kabir Ji begins this ‘Shabad’ with a lesson for every mortal. He takes example of ‘Dhruv’ and ‘Prahlaad’ who were blessed with vision of ‘Lord’. And what they did? They meditated on ‘Lord’s Naam’ with such faith, trust and devotion that they forgot everything else. As per Kabir Ji that’s the way soul of every individual should recite ‘The Naam’. If an individual is meditating on ‘The Naam’ and still not able to put his faith, trust on ‘The One’, he needs to learn from examples of Dhruv and Prahlaad.

Kabir Ji had attained the ‘Pinnacle of Spiritualism’. His faith and trust on ‘The Lord – The One’ can never be doubted in any moment, past/present/future. He says to ‘The One’ that he has placed his faith in HIM to an extent that he has boarded himself and his family on ‘HIS Boat’. What does ‘Boat’ signify here? The world is considered ocean. Why? Since, like ‘Ocean’ it has endless desires. These desires can drown any individual. The only way one can sail through Ocean is via a boat, a ship to reach the ends of Ocean. And similarly the world like ocean can only be sailed through with help of ‘HIS Naam’ and ‘HIS Naam’ only. Thus, as per Kabir Ji ‘Naam of Lord’ is such a boat and he refers it to as ‘HIS Boat’.

Next, Kabir Ji refers to another ‘Boat’. ‘This Boat’ means the life of an individual, as every individual is a ‘Passenger – A Sailor’ and life is Journey. If an individual thinks, it is his efforts to sail ‘This Boat’, it signifies ‘Ego’. Thus Kabir Ji negates such thoughts. He says, only when it is pleasing to HIM, HE inspires to obey ‘HIS Command’. Only HE causes ‘This Boat’ to cross over.

What happens when ‘This Boat’ crosses over? Kabir Ji says, the reincarnations, coming and going in this world end! And such an understanding can only come to an individual through ‘Guru's Grace’. Many of us don’t believe in past lives. Well that is partially correct since we don’t know what is past/present/future? Our reference is time which we consider linear but is that correct understanding? How can we establish ‘Truth’ with limited ability to comprehend? So, please listen to Kabir Ji who confirms that only ‘HIS Naam – The Boat’ can sail ‘This Boat – A life of an individual’ to ‘The Goal – The Merger with HIM’. And if HE is ‘Ajuni – Beyond Birth - As per Dhan Shri Guru Nanak Dev Ji’, how an individual merged in HIM can born again? What does it mean? Well an individual is free from cycles of birth and death and has crossed over the ‘World Ocean’.

In the end Kabir Ji says, just meditate on ‘HIS Naam’. HE is sustainer of Earth. In this world and beyond and everywhere, HE alone is the Giver.

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[1] Sorath Mehla 9 – Ang 633 Dhan Shri Guru Granth Sahib Ji