Sikhism: Japji Sahib 35th Pauri

[DriftingCrow]

ਧਰਮ ਖੰਡ ਕਾ ਏਹੋ ਧਰਮੁ ॥

This is righteous living in the realm of Dharma.

ਿਗਆਨ ਖੰਡ ਕਾ ਆਖਹੁ ਕਰਮੁ ॥

And now we speak of the realm of spiritual wisdom.

ਕੇਤੇ ਪਵਣ ਪਾਣੀ ਵੈਸੰਤਰ ਕੇਤੇ ਕਾਨ ਮਹੇਸ ॥

So many winds, waters and fires; so many Krishnas and Shivas.

ਕੇਤੇ ਬਰਮੇ ਘਾੜਿਤ ਘੜੀਅਿਹ ਰੂਪ ਰੰਗ ਕੇ ਵੇਸ ॥

So many Brahmas, fashioning forms of great beauty, adorned and

dressed in many colors.

ਕੇਤੀਆ ਕਰਮ ਭੂਮੀ ਮੇਰ ਕੇਤੇ ਕੇਤੇ ਧੂ ਉਪਦੇਸ ॥

So many worlds and lands for working out karma. So very many lessons

to be learned!

ਕੇਤੇ ਇੰਦ ਚੰਦ ਸੂਰ ਕੇਤੇ ਕੇਤੇ ਮੰਡਲ ਦੇਸ ॥

So many Indras, so many moons and suns, so many worlds and lands.

ਕੇਤੇ ਿਸਧ ਬੁਧ ਨਾਥ ਕੇਤੇ ਕੇਤੇ ਦੇਵੀ ਵੇਸ ॥

So many Siddhas and Buddhas, so many Yogic masters. So many

goddesses of various kinds.

ਕੇਤੇ ਦੇਵ ਦਾਨਵ ਮੁਿਨ ਕੇਤੇ ਕੇਤੇ ਰਤਨ ਸਮੰ ੁਦ ॥

So many demi-gods and demons, so many silent sages. So many

oceans of jewels.

ਕੇਤੀਆ ਖਾਣੀ ਕੇਤੀਆ ਬਾਣੀ ਕੇਤੇ ਪਾਤ ਨਿਰੰਦ ॥

So many ways of life, so many languages. So many dynasties of rulers.
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I am taking a class on reading Gurmukhi script (the script above) by doing 1 pauri of Japji Sahib every week. This week is the 35th Pauri. 

I thought I'd add this here, since there's so many Christianity threads, I wanted to participate to add in more representation of others. 

After the reading part of the class, we kind of talk a little about the meaning(s) of the Pauri. Part of this is about how there 's so many dimensions, whether they're other worlds, "heavens" or "hells" and that we're in one of them now to work on lessons we're meant to learn. I always thought being gender-variant is part of some larger lesson, whether for myself or society at large. In Sikhi, the souls are genderless, any gender we see in society is only a mix of social constructs and the influence of the physical body (like affects from hormones and brain structures). You can reincarnate multiple times as a human and end up in a different physical-sex body and gender identify every time--you don't have a "woman soul" or a "man soul". 

The parts talking about how there's so many different Gods really reminded me of my understanding of the native religion of the NDN tribe we relate to on my father's side. It's similar to the Sikh view where there's the "Great Spirit" kautantowwit (Waheguru in Sikhism = Great/Awesome Teacher) that we all come from, and that there's many beings and creatures who have the light from this Spirit (manitoo is Spirit or things beyond human understanding and perception) in them. There is really only 1 God but many creatures who have realized this light of God and use it (like maybe Saints in Catholicism, and other great Spiritual beings from many religions, like the Buddha).  We all have the potential to be more on a spiritual level, just not many take the chance to really practice it.  In the Native religion, it's recognized that everyone has this Spirit in them. This was confusing to the colonists, as written by Roger Williams, when the natives said "you are manitoo" to him, it was heard as "you are a God" instead of seeing that it was really a recognition of the Spirit inside the person. In Sikhi, since everyone has the light of God in them, we can all draw closer and closer on this light until we're eventually merged with the One and escape reincarnation. 

[Deleted]

Have at it.
:-)

Blessings

Trinity

[DriftingCrow]

Onto the 36th Pauri now:


ਿਗਆਨ ਖੰਡ ਮਿਹ ਿਗਆਨੁ ਪਰਚੰਡੁ ॥

In the realm of wisdom, spiritual wisdom reigns supreme.

ਿਤਥੈ ਨਾਦ ਿਬਨੋਦ ਕੋਡ ਅਨੰ ਦੁ ॥

The Sound-current of the Naad vibrates there, amidst the sounds and

the sights of bliss.

ਸਰਮ ਖੰਡ ਕੀ ਬਾਣੀ ਰੂਪੁ ॥

In the realm of humility, the Word is Beauty.

ਿਤਥੈ ਘਾੜਿਤ ਘੜੀਐ ਬਹੁਤੁ ਅਨੂਪੁ ॥

Forms of incomparable beauty are fashioned there.

ਤਾ ਕੀਆ ਗਲਾ ਕਥੀਆ ਨਾ ਜਾਿਹ ॥

These things cannot be described.

ਜੇ ਕੋ ਕਹੈ ਿਪਛੈ ਪਛੁਤਾਇ ॥

One who tries to speak of these shall regret the attempt.

ਿਤਥੈ ਘੜੀਐ ਸੁਰਿਤ ਮਿਤ ਮਿਨ ਬੁਿਧ ॥

The intuitive consciousness, intellect and understanding of the mind are

shaped there.

ਿਤਥੈ ਘੜੀਐ ਸੁਰਾ ਿਸਧਾ ਕੀ ਸੁਿਧ ॥੩੬॥

The consciousness of the spiritual warriors and the Siddhas, the beings

of spiritual perfection, are shaped there. ||36||

Another theme in SGGS is about loosing attachment to the physical realm. The Spiritual world is where everything is -- though it's hard to describe what is there since its beyond our human understanding. One of the ways of getting to the place where attachment to maya is lost is through chanting naam, God's name, in meditation --  that's part of what "Word is Beauty" is, I think.  Meditating on naam is described as being like a child calling "mommy mommy", eventually mom will come to you. If you meditate on God's name, you'll develop a Spiritual connection with The One and can experience  ਿਗਆਨੁ Spiritual wisdom.