Translation

Yoga Disrupted
‍What kind of Yoga?

Ramkali Sovereign 10
O mind! Earn the union by this method:
Consider Truth as a horn, non-deception a necklace, and ascend ash of contemplation.1. Pause-reflect.
Control inner-self as holding a one-string instrument, and Nam-Identification as a support for receiving alms.
Experience the essence of 1-Hari as the sound of supreme strings; that's where melodious musical modes emerge.1.
Wave of color-love arises from melodic improvisations and compositions of songs of deep knowledge.  
Gods, demons, and sages witness in amazement; those riding skies are in happiness.2.
Control inner-self as the instruction; practice self-restraint as garb; and unrecitable recitation as the recitation.That’s how the body always remains golden; the fear of death doesn’t affect it.3.2.

Commentary

Ramkali's musical mode’s sweetness and startling expressions further unfold. Mentor and protege are very aware that there is a pain in the struggle, but they also know that there is sweetness in triumph.

Jog, yog, and yoga all have the literal meaning of union. In Hinduism, Yoga is one of the six philosophical schools. Yoga encompasses various practices aimed at controlling and stilling the mind. In the West, yoga’s more popular forms are Hatha or Tantric.

I have practiced yoga in the original understanding of Rigveda’s “control” and the Yoga Sutra’s “concentration.” I have also practiced Yoga’s Western derivatives, focusing on mind-body strength, balance, and flexibility. They all benefited me, but they are not even remotely close to what The Sovereign reframes yoga to “union” with the 1.

Essentially, what method do I practice to “unite”? Do I need to attach, join, or harness as intended by traditional yoga? Guru Gobind Singh Sahib, the Sovereign, tells me that I need to unite with the 1. I don’t need yoga, nor its paraphernalia or practice. 

All I need to do is play the music of truth, i.e., voice the truth, and not play the yogi’s horn called singi. All I need to do is not be deceptive in my living and not wear the yogi’s rosary-like necklace made from rudraksha beads called kanthula. Instead, all I need to do is contemplate on the union with the 1 and not apply the yogi’s ash on my body called bibhut. 

All I need to do is to control my mind and not play the yogi’s one-string instrument called kingri. All I need to do is to make my support Nam, the Identification with the 1, and not the handbag of the yogi to collect alms from the public. This is how the best vibrations of Hari strike within, how the melody is produced within to identify with the 1. Hari is All-Pervasive, Fear-Eliminator, Light, 1Force, the 1. Nam is the recitation and remembrance of the 1, qualities and attributes of the 1, and much more. Hari is the destroyer of the suffering, the panacea to end the separation. Hari’s Nam is how I identify with the 1 personally and intimately.

All I need to do is become the lover of the Beloved, colored with the diverse rising waves of music, both defined and undefined. This musical love will create the lyrical harmony of Nam-Identification within me. Then, I will be ready to receive the songs of deep knowledge, the infinite wisdom in Sabad—the word-sound that captures dimensions of the infinite wisdom emanating from the 1. Then, I will be prepared to ride the waves of discipline and conduct towards union with the 1. Everyone is in awe of that connected being’s color-love. Even the gods, the demons, and the sages are listening to that music of Nam-Identification of the 1, and so are the celestial bodies like the sun, the moon, and the stars.

All I need to do is control the mind, not instruct the mind like the yogi. All I need to do is to practice self-restraint from vices and not merely adorn myself with yogic garbs. All I need to do is to recite the 1 who is not recitable naturally and not force specific recitations like the yogi. When I earn this yog-union, my body will remain golden and death-free forever, healthy and fearless, unified with the 1. The Sovereign is telling me not to be fixated on conventional yoga in this world; instead, I must develop a love for the 1 and feel the identity of the 1. That’s the union, the real yoga, that matters the most!

Will I earn the union of my Sovereign?

Art

I have crafted this artwork to explore the profound world of yogic symbolism and present the essential elements necessary for a spiritual journey. Within this creation, the horn instrument represents truth, the necklace embodies sincerity, and the ceremonial ash symbolizes contemplation. As the figures progress towards the ੧/1, I portray each holding and eventually releasing these symbolic "things," signifying their pursuit of spiritual growth and enlightenment.

The artwork features a broad, indistinct landscape with a wide-angle perspective, presenting linear human figures reminiscent of time-lapse photographs. This portrayal resembles historical textbook illustrations illustrating the evolutionary transition from animal to human, although it represents a different kind of evolution. The figures intentionally lack specific details, with the emphasis placed on their motion toward the ੧/1 and the act of discarding the "things." 

The first figure faces away entirely from the ੧/1; the second lets go of the ash; the third tosses the necklace into the tree branches; the fourth sets down the horn, and the fifth walks unburdened, moving toward the ੧/1. The moon cycles depicted in the artwork allude to the mention of waves of color and “tan” (creative improvisation and the invocation of musical scales with a prescribed timing). This portrayal creates an almost vibrational appearance of the moon and the human figures. As the figures depart from this cave and discard the "things," their bodies transform into a golden hue.

Note: Where there is greenery, there is ‘natural life.’  I situate the readers, the learners, and seekers, those engaging with the composition there. In every artwork, I have placed ੧, a reference to IkOankar, the One, without limiting it to an object-based depiction such as a sun or a moon. The colors are chosen intentionally to evoke a particular interpretation or adhere to a cohesive color palette to show the relationship between the ten compositions of Guru Gobind Singh Sahib.

Gurmukhi

ਰਾਮਕਲੀ ਪਾਤਿਸਾਹੀ ੧੦
ਰੇ ਮਨ   ਇਹ ਬਿਧਿ ਜੋਗੁ ਕਮਾਓ॥
ਸਿੰਙੀ ਸਾਚੁ   ਅਕਪਟ ਕੰਠੁਲਾ   ਧਿਆਨੁ ਬਿਭੂਤਿ ਚੜ੍ਹਾਓ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ॥
ਤਾਂਤੀ ਗਹੁ   ਆਤਮ ਬਸਿ ਕਰਿ ਕੀ   ਭਿੱਛਾ ਨਾਮੁ ਅਧਾਰੰ॥
ਬਾਜੈ ਪਰਮ ਤਾਰ ਤਤੁ ਹਰਿ ਕੋ   ਉਪਜੈ ਰਾਗੁ ਰਸਾਰੰ॥੧॥
ਉਘਟੈ ਤਾਨ ਤਰੰਗ ਰੰਗਿ ਅਤਿ   ਗਿਆਨਿ ਗੀਤਿ ਬੰਧਾਨੰ॥
ਚਕਿ ਚਕਿ ਰਹੇ ਦੇਵ ਦਾਨਵ ਮੁਨਿ   ਛਕਿ ਛਕਿ ਬ੍ਯੋਮ ਬਿਵਾਨੰ॥੨॥
ਆਤਮ ਉਪਦੇਸੁ ਭੇਸੁ ਸੰਜਮ ਕੋ   ਜਾਪੁ ਸੁ ਅਜਪਾ ਜਾਪੈ॥
ਸਦਾ ਰਹੈ ਕੰਚਨ ਸੀ ਕਾਯਾ   ਕਾਲੁ ਨ ਕਬਹੂੰ ਬ੍ਯਾਪੈ॥੩॥੨॥

Transcription

rāmkalī pātisāhī 10
re man   ih bidhi jogu kamāo.
siṅṅī sācu   akapaṭ kanṭhulā   dhiānu bibhūti caṛhāo.1. rahāu.
tāṁtī gahu   ātam basi kari kī   bhichchā nāmu adhāraṅ.
bājai param tār tatu hari ko   upjai rāgu rasāraṅ.1.
ughṭai tān taraṅg raṅgi ati   giāni gīti bandhānaṅ.
caki caki rahe dev dānav muni   chaki chaki bayom bivānaṅ.2.
ātam updesu bhesu sañjam ko   jāpu su ajapā jāpai.
sadā rahai kancan sī kāyā   kālu na kabahūṁ bayāpai.3.2.

Sabad Kirtan

Bhai Balbir Singh

Sabad Recitation

Harjinder Singh

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