[salok] Bhagat Kabeer Jeo Kae

[lowest of the low singhni]

vaheguru ji ka khalsa vaheguru ji ki fateh

ਕਬੀਰ ਸਤੀ ਪੁਕਾਰੈ ਚਿਹ ਚੜੀ ਸੁਨੁ ਹੋ ਬੀਰ ਮਸਾਨ ॥

Kabīr saṯī pukārai cẖih cẖaṛī sun ho bīr masān.

Kabeer, the widow mounts the funeral pyre and cries out, "Listen, O brother funeral pyre.

ਲੋਗੁ ਸਬਾਇਆ ਚਲਿ ਗਇਓ ਹਮ ਤੁਮ ਕਾਮੁ ਨਿਦਾਨ ॥੮੫॥

Log sabā­i­ā cẖal ga­i­o ham ṯum kām niḏān.

All people must depart in the end; it is only you and I".

ਸਤੀ = widow who burns on the funeral pyre of her husband; ਪੁਕਾਰੈ = cries; ਚਿਹ = funeral pyre; ਚੜੀ = climbs; ਸੁਨੁ = listen; ਬੀਰ = brother; ਮਸਾਨ = cremation ground; ਲੋਗੁ = people; ਸਬਾਇਆ = everyone; ਚਲਿ = depart; ਹਮ = all; ਤੁਮ = you; ਨਿਦਾਨ = in the end.

(I'm not sure what the ਕਾਮੁ means here? I think it should be something quite simple but if someone could let me know that'd be great.)

In this Salok Bhagat Kabeer Ji makes reference to the Hindu practice of Sati, where a widowed woman will kill herself by jumping into her late husband's funeral pyre. Literally Sati means something close to 'virtuous woman' and it was believed that a wife who loved her husband enough to die in this way would receive a one-way ticket straight to heaven, and also earn all her previous sinful forefathers an escape route from hell and chance for salvation. Fun for all the family. The entire act was considered one of the most meritorious things a wife could do, and as a result those that did choose to do it would be honoured after death and worshipped as a goddess.

Obviously Gurbani can have many meanings and hundreds of deeper explanations. The basic message behind this Salok is clear, although the metaphor can relate to several different things. I'm not sure if the Sati-woman is referring to the funeral pyre as her brother - i.e. turning to the fire as her last support in the world. It's possible that she is talking to the relatives or brothers she is leaving behind on earth and telling them that everyone must die in the end, and to make the most of life while they can. (I have a feeling there might be a link to the practice of Rakhri/brothers protecting their sisters here too but if I dig such a deep hole full of Bhagat Kabeer Ji's ideas I might never reappear.)

Anyway. The point is that however and whenever we are destined to die, that fate is one of the only certain things in life. Thousands of generations have come and gone living and dying by that universal rule. Guru Saheb tells us that a true Sikh has nothing to worry about - they will already have died whilst alive, will already have fulfilled their purpose on earth and found inner peace in life. When they reach Dharamraj's court their life-account will be torn up and they won't need judged like everyone else. But we're also told that a very small number of people will ever have enough love, dedication and fortune to reach that stage.

Dying is one universal truth, but another universal truth is that Guru Saheb will answer those prayers of his Sikhs who commit to Him with their entire minds, bodies and souls. If we forget for a second that we need a new car, need to pay off a loan, need to please our friends, need to pass our exams, need to cook the dinner, and stop to humbly ask Akaal Purakh for his blessings and the gift of his Naam to be enshrined in our hearts, that King will surely answer. And there can be no doubt in our mind about that. And even though we might continue to search for the perfect car, pay off the debt, sweet-talk our friends, study for the exams and burn the dinner to ash, at least we'll be doing it with Guru Ji's light shining through our actions in every second. The worry of Dharamraj's court will gradually become less of a problem as we step closer to embracing our beloved father who has been waiting for us all our lives.

vaheguru ji ka khalsa vaheguru ji ki fateh

[Laadli Fauj]

nice post

i think kaam here might be related to the word sanbandh in punjabi

like in the end, the only sanbandh/kam u have with anyone is with Waheguru

did that make any sense at all?....

[Akaali]

Obviously Gurbani can have many meanings and hundreds of deeper explanations.

And this salok in particular has a VERY deep meaning.

Reading the sikhitothemax translation really confused me and I read the translation over 10 times and it still didn't make sense to me, so I resorted to other translations of this salok (Bhai Sahib Singh).

ਕਬੀਰ ਸਤੀ ਪੁਕਾਰੈ ਚਿਹ ਚੜੀ ਸੁਨੁ ਹੋ ਬੀਰ ਮਸਾਨ ॥ ਲੋਗੁ ਸਬਾਇਆ ਚਲਿ ਗਇਓ ਹਮ ਤੁਮ ਕਾਮੁ ਨਿਦਾਨ ॥੮੫॥

The key words in this salok are "ਹਮ ਤੁਮ ਕਾਮੁ ਨਿਦਾਨ".

sati=that woman who dies alongside her deceased husband on his funeral pyre.

chih=funeral pyre

bir=brother

masaan=funeral pyre

ਕਬੀਰ ਸਤੀ ਪੁਕਾਰੈ ਚਿਹ ਚੜੀ ਸੁਨੁ ਹੋ ਬੀਰ ਮਸਾਨ ॥

She's calling masaan (fire) her brother because she knows that this fire will burn her and she will become united with her earthly husband after death. This could also be a metaphor since we know in Indian custom, after marriage the brother walks his sister to the doli that will take her to her husband's home, same way she's calling masaan her brother that will burn her body and take her soul to be with her husband, which obviously isn't what really happens.

In the second tuk: ਲੋਗੁ ਸਬਾਇਆ ਚਲਿ ਗਇਓ ਹਮ ਤੁਮ ਕਾਮੁ ਨਿਦਾਨ ॥੮੫॥

Bhagatjee is saying:

Lok sabaayaa=All the people

Chal Gaeyo=Have left,

Ham tum kaam nidaan=Now the only dealings for me are left with you (the funeral pyre)

Here bhagat jee means that the widow feels that after the body is burnt everyone has left and there's no-one left to support her and she sees only one way to unite with her husband, which gives her the only option, to become a sati.

Now, you may ask what does all this have to do with gursikhi? There are many ways you can relate this to gursikhi. Here's one:

Our husband lord, prabhu pati resides in sachkhand, our body-soul, jeev istri, living at her in-laws (earth/kaljug) still loves her body and doesn't want to give it up, and let it go, no-one wants to give up their body for anything in the world, this jeev istri has developed so much moh for this body and this is what creates a barrier.

Now, if you become the sati like the sati mentioned above and obtain the understanding that only by giving up this body, giving up the moh for this mind/body and all its vikaars will you understand that once you burn this body in the fire of naam and give up its attachment can you then become one with akaal purkh vaaheguruu. So bhagatjee is saying, like the sati who loves the funeral pyre and calls it her brother, so you too love the pyre of naam/shabad for it is the only thing that will burn your body and take your soul to merge with akaal purkh vaaheguru.

Bhul chuk muaaf karnee jeeo.

P.S. kaam = matlab / a reason for affiliation