[salok] Bhagat Kabeer Jeeo Kae

[lowest of the low singhni]

vaheguru ji ka khalsa vaheguru ji ki fateh

ਕਬੀਰ ਮਾਇਆ ਡੋਲਨੀ ਪਵਨੁ ਝਕੋਲਨਹਾਰੁ ॥

kabeer maa-i-aa dolnee pavan jhakolanhaar

Kabeer, Maya is the butter-churn, and the breath is the churning-stick.

ਸੰਤਹੁ ਮਾਖਨੁ ਖਾਇਆ ਛਾਛਿ ਪੀਐ ਸੰਸਾਰੁ ॥੧੮॥

santahu maakhan khaa-i-aa chhaachh pee-ai sansaar

The Saints eat the butter, while the world drinks the whey.

"maya" = mammon, worldy entanglements, anything taking our minds of God

"dolnee" = butter-churn

"pavan" = breath

"jhakolanhar" = churning stick

"maakhan" = butter

"chaach" = buttermilk/whey

"sansaar" = world

Bhagat Kabeer Ji uses the analogy of butter-churning in order to make us understand a Gursikh's life experience compared to a manmukh's.

In case anyone reading this doesn't know what a butter churner looks like, here's an example. Probably lacking in authenticity, but anyway.

Obviously the main point of churning milk is to make butter. And at the end, buttermilk or whey is produced as well as the butter. The main point of our life is to fall in love with Maharaj and merge back with Him. This involves us keeping Him in our minds and tongues continuously whilst doing our fair share of worldly responsibilities. The people who have twigged this and put it into practice, have achieved their true goal in life.

Maya is like a butter churn, and our breaths are the churning stick inside it. It is easy to get swayed and distracted by the churner which surrounds us, taking us away from our true purpose in life. If we give up our breaths to that Maya - it's like leaving the buttermilk only half-churned - what fruit (in this case butter) will we receive? Not much. We'll only get the stuff which is in-between butter and milk. Some of us give up churning completely right at the start, so we only get milk. The point is lost.

But if our breaths continue to act as the churning sticks - without being distracted, without forgetting Maharaj no matter how much the Maya surrounds us - eventually, we will gain the true Butter and savour its taste and flavour. The true Ras of Gurbani and Naam can only be discovered if we make the effort to churn the Name of Satguru Ji on our tongues and in our hearts every second of every day.

...two pictures today. excitement.

:D:

~l~

vaheguru ji ka khalsa vaheguru ji ki fateh