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Everywhere I Go, Bithal is Present

ਮਹਾ ਅਨੰਦ ਕਰੇ ਸਦ ਕੇਲਾ ॥

Sunday
,
30
April
2017

Everywhere I Go, Bithal is Present

ਮਹਾ ਅਨੰਦ ਕਰੇ ਸਦ ਕੇਲਾ ॥

Sunday
,
30
April
2017
Sabad of the Week
Sabad
Rag Asa
Guru Granth Sahib
⟵ Back to articles

Everywhere I Go, Bithal is Present

ਮਹਾ ਅਨੰਦ ਕਰੇ ਸਦ ਕੇਲਾ ॥

Sunday
,
30
April
2017

Delve into the Sabad (Shabad) of Bhagat Namdev in Rag (raag) Asa from the Guru Granth Sahib, the sacred scripture of the Sikhs. Read the translation done by Harinder Singh and Inni Kaur.

This composition by Bhagat Namdev is in Rag Asa, a musical mode used to evoke a mood of hope, expectation, inspiration, and courage. In Bhagat Namdev’s earlier worship mode, he was a follower of the “Bithal” deity. At some point in his journey, he transcended the deity and became a lover of the Divine – the All-pervasive.

Reflection: Caste, background, and worship mode are immaterial when one develops a relationship. The early stages of a relationship create tension; as one gets deeper into the relationship, the realization dawns that equality is not the issue. The centrality transcends all definitions and standards seemingly religious men have created. Standards need to be broken to transcend the relationship with the Divine.

Bring a pitcher and fill it with water for bathing the deity.1
But 4.2 million creatures live in the water (according to Hindu scriptures) —
How can Bithal¹ exist there?  1.

Everywhere I go, Bithal is present,
Always enjoying great bliss and play.  1. Reflect

Bring flowers and string a garland for worshiping the deity.
But the bumble-bee has already taken the fragrance—
How can Bithal exist there?  2.

Bring milk and cook the pudding for an edible offering to the deity.
But the calf has already contaminated the milk—
How can Bithal exist there?  3.

Here Bithal, there Bithal—There is no world without Bithal.
Namdev submits: You are totally permeating the Universe—
all spaces and interspaces.  4.

¹ Deity in Jain and Vaishnav tradition but All-Pervasive for Bhagat Namdev.

Note: Interplay happening between Bithal and the deity. The religious world always wants to maintain the purity of their deity, but Namdev says the Divine is everywhere, so every space is pure.

     Bhagat Namdev ji in Rag Asa | Guru Granth Sahib 485

ਆਸਾ ॥

ਆਨੀਲੇ ਕੁੰਭ ਭਰਾਈਲੇ ਊਦਕ ਠਾਕੁਰ ਕਉ ਇਸਨਾਨੁ ਕਰਉ ॥|
ਬਇਆਲੀਸ ਲਖ ਜੀ ਜਲ ਮਹਿ ਹੋਤੇ ਬੀਠਲੁ ਭੈਲਾ ਕਾਇ ਕਰਉ ॥੧॥
ਜਤ੍ਰ ਜਾਉ ਤਤ ਬੀਠਲੁ ਭੈਲਾ ॥
ਮਹਾ ਅਨੰਦ ਕਰੇ ਸਦ ਕੇਲਾ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
ਆਨੀਲੇ ਫੂਲ ਪਰੋਈਲੇ ਮਾਲਾ ਠਾਕੁਰ ਕੀ ਹਉ ਪੂਜ ਕਰਉ ॥
ਪਹਿਲੇ ਬਾਸੁ ਲਈ ਹੈ ਭਵਰਹ ਬੀਠਲ ਭੈਲਾ ਕਾਇ ਕਰਉ ॥੨॥
ਆਨੀਲੇ ਦੂਧੁ ਰੀਧਾਈਲੇ ਖੀਰੰ ਠਾਕੁਰ ਕਉ ਨੈਵੇਦੁ ਕਰਉ ॥
ਪਹਿਲੇ ਦੂਧੁ ਬਿਟਾਰਿਓ ਬਛਰੈ ਬੀਠਲੁ ਭੈਲਾ ਕਾਇ ਕਰਉ ॥੩॥
ਈਭੈ ਬੀਠਲੁ ਊਭੈ ਬੀਠਲੁ ਬੀਠਲ ਬਿਨੁ ਸੰਸਾਰੁ ਨਹੀ ॥
ਥਾਨ ਥਨੰਤਰਿ ਨਾਮਾ ਪ੍ਰਣਵੈ ਪੂਰਿ ਰਹਿਓ ਤੂੰ ਸਰਬ ਮਹੀ ॥੪॥੨॥

About Sabad of the Week

We are finite; our understanding is finite. Our understanding was different yesterday and may evolve tomorrow as we deepen our relationship with the Sabad. In this trans-creation, we have chosen to keep the repeating words in the Sabad same. We aspire to learn and retain the Divine attribute used in the original Sabad and avoid terms like God or Lord.

Revised:

This Content has been made available for educational purposes only. SikhRI does not make any representation concerning the completeness of the Content. This Content is not intended to substitute research or a deeper understanding of the topic. SikhRI encourages readers to read multiple authors to gain a complete understanding of the topic.

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Written By

Senior Fellow, Research & Policy

Harinder Singh is the Senior Fellow at the Sikh Research Institute. He holds a BS in Aerospace Engineering from Wichita State University, an MS in Engineering Management from the University of Kansas, and an MPhil from Punjab University in the linguistics of the Guru Granth Sahib. 

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Creative Director

Inni Kaur is Creative Director at the Sikh Research Institute (SikhRI). She has served SikhRI in several capacities since 2010, including Chair of the Board, and most recently as CEO. 

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