How the weather connects us all is the topic of this edition of The Sunday Sermon followed by a reading and English interpretation of a shabad by Guru Arjun Dev Ji in Raag Jaitsree.
This hukumnama is written by Guru Arjun Dev Ji in Raag Jaitsree on page 709.
ਸਲੋਕ ॥
ਰਸਨਾ ਉਚਰੰਤਿ ਨਾਮੰ ਸ੍ਰਵਣੰ ਸੁਨੰਤਿ ਸਬਦ ਅੰਮ੍ਰਿਤਹ ॥
ਨਾਨਕ ਤਿਨ ਸਦ ਬਲਿਹਾਰੰ ਜਿਨਾ ਧਿਆਨੁ ਪਾਰਬ੍ਰਹਮਣਹ ॥੧॥
ਹਭਿ ਕੂੜਾਵੇ ਕੰਮ ਇਕਸੁ ਸਾਈ ਬਾਹਰੇ ॥
ਨਾਨਕ ਸੇਈ ਧੰਨੁ ਜਿਨਾ ਪਿਰਹੜੀ ਸਚ ਸਿਉ ॥੨॥
ਪਉੜੀ ॥
ਸਦ ਬਲਿਹਾਰੀ ਤਿਨਾ ਜਿ ਸੁਨਤੇ ਹਰਿ ਕਥਾ ॥
ਪੂਰੇ ਤੇ ਪਰਧਾਨ ਨਿਵਾਵਹਿ ਪ੍ਰਭ ਮਥਾ ॥
ਹਰਿ ਜਸੁ ਲਿਖਹਿ ਬੇਅੰਤ ਸੋਹਹਿ ਸੇ ਹਥਾ ॥
ਚਰਨ ਪੁਨੀਤ ਪਵਿਤ੍ਰ ਚਾਲਹਿ ਪ੍ਰਭ ਪਥਾ ॥
ਸੰਤਾਂ ਸੰਗਿ ਉਧਾਰੁ ਸਗਲਾ ਦੁਖੁ ਲਥਾ ॥੧੪॥
[709, Guru Granth Sahib]
The fifth Guru Nanak begins this salok by praising people who praise the Almighty. If we speak, hear or think of the Almighty then Guru Nanak is a willing sacrifice to us. This is the highest praise that the Guru bestows upon God-devout people and indicative of the place that contemplation has in Sikhi. If we are Sikhs then we should be learning all the time. A good student pays attention, listens, works hard and asks questions. The Sikh in doing so is in the act of contemplating God. Through contemplation we come to both speak and hear of the Almighty. It is a win-win situation! In our daily lives we can become overly engrossed in the social events unfolding around us. War, economic prosperity, social delinquency, political manifestation… the list is both timeless and endless. But the Guru concludes this Salok by warning us that these are mere false prophets. Ours is not to reject the World, but it is always to try and overcome it. We can live and breathe here from birth to death without becoming caught up in the petty squabbles of the day. Think about it: the largest problems in the World today, the ones that make international headlines, are generally large-scale problems of the school yard. Devotion to the Almighty, to be in tune with the master… that is a worthy concern says the fifth Guru Nanak.
The hukumnama continues with the pauree or step, our next rung of the learning ladder if you like.
Guru Arjun Dev Ji continues to praise the God-devout, that person who asks the eternal questions of life and seeks out the maker. The Guru concentrates on that person’s hands, feet and head through this pauree praising those parts of his body for essentially being at one with the Almighty. With our whole body, our entire being we need to search for the illustrious Lord. When we do consequently we meet with the holy saints, his congregation where we can further discuss Him and advance our selves. In life, when we go to University, college, or even school, part of the process is to meet with like-minded individuals. When we join clubs, societies or groups we do so to interact with people who share an attraction to an ideal, sport or personality. In treading the path of the Sikh we can meet with others who are in search of the Almighty and in doing so our sorrow and sadness is shed, for we are not alone on this journey. We can come to see that in fact we are all in this together. We are all One, of the One, we can come to see just One.
Interpreted by Harwinder Singh Mander
