Translation

Creator Ruler
‍What is the Ruler?

Kalyan Sovereign 10
Do not accept anyone else created as the Creator.
Consider the First, the Unborn, the Unconquerable, and the Imperishable as the Supreme Ruler.1. Pause-reflect.
So what if many came as incarnations in this world, so what if Hari-Vishnu-Krishna killed ten or so demons?
Proclaimed themselves to be Brahma-Creator after showing many plays.1.
The Divine is ever capable of destroying and carving; how can That 1 be shown and measured?
This is why no one can save themselves from the strike of the sword of All-Death.2.
O ignorant! Listen, how can the one who is drowned in the world-ocean ferry you across?
When you take refuge in World-Source, only then will you be free from the noose of death.3.1.5.

Commentary

Kalyan, a musical mode of the first quarter of the night, invokes moods and emotions of blessings and goodness. It is considered to be forceful and determined in nature, yet produces bliss when sung in an attentive manner.

In Hindu tradition, Paramesvar (or parameshwara) refers to Shiva, the destroyer. Param denotes supreme, foremost, or highest, while Esvar signifies ruler, owner, or chief. For Shiva's followers, he is Paramesvar—the ultimate and highest reality that eternally rules everything. For Shaivites, Shiva is understood as the creator, preserver, and destroyer.

Guru Gobind Singh Sahib, The Sovereign, emphatically declares that anyone created or formed by the 1 cannot be confused with the 1 and must not be accepted as the 1-Creator. To my Sovereign, no one else can be termed the Creator except the 1. To my Sovereign, only the 1 is Paramesvar, the Supreme Ruler. Only that 1 has been present before the universe was created. Only that 1 is beyond the cycle of birth and death. Only that 1 is almighty who cannot be defeated by anyone. Only that 1 is not perishable, who will remain eternally. And only that 1 can be termed as the Supreme Ruler!

My Sovereign explains to me, so what if many came as gods on this earth? And so what if those gods killed ten or so demons, referring to Krishna, the incarnation of Vishnu, who is known as Hari? Though the incarnations are primarily of Vishnu, several texts also mention the incarnations of Shiva. In Hindu traditions, there are 33 kinds for a total of 330 million incarnations. So what if those incarnations, through pretense and drama, convinced many on this earth? And so what if they, through their power and magic, self-proclaimed themselves as Brahma, Creator, in the eyes of everyday people? I'd better avoid getting taken in by the stories and the drama laced with fascination and power plays. If I do, I will also mistakenly start calling those extraordinary human beings, those mythological heroes, or sheroes, a creator and supreme ruler. I must listen to my Sovereign and accept the 1 as the Creator and the Supreme Ruler.

My Sovereign explains to me that the 1 whose perfect capability and capacity is operating between creating and destroying is not visible to my senses; how can that 1 be shown and described? I must accept my Sovereign's explanation. I must develop my senses to envision and perceive that 1. My Sovereign further explains that the All-Death is an attribute of the 1, and everyone as the target of the 1 is inevitable. For all of us mortals, death is marked by the 1. The 1 as the All-Death strikes, and there is no way anyone can escape that eventual strike; death to all is certain on this earth. How can I accept any incarnate or character as the creator or supreme ruler who eventually dies? I can not. I will not.

My Sovereign then asks the ignorant me: listen, see, and tell me how can anyone drowning in the world-ocean save you from drowning? How can those caught up in their own games, whether real or imaginative, who are not free themselves on this earth, free you? My Sovereign then advises me: You can, and you will escape the fear of death and death itself. You need to enter the sanctuary of the World-Source—the 1. The 1 is the World-Source from the beginning; no earthly or mythical authority can ever be the creator or supreme ruler in both your visible reality and invisible abstraction. Your safe space, your protection, starts and ends with the 1. My Sovereign is too gracious; He guides me to be under the sanctuary of the 1 in whose sanctuary He Himself entered. And in that 1’s sanctuary and mentorship, I will understand, and I will accept, only the 1 as the Creator and the Supreme Ruler.

Will I accept the 1 as the Supreme Ruler as my Sovereign did?

Note: We are very finite; our understanding is finite too. We aspire to deepen our relationship with the Guru. In this translation and commentary, we focused more on meaning, context, and message and less on literalism and poetics. We aspire to learn and live the message to end our separation from the 1.

Art

In my artwork, I employ the story of Vishnu's death to vividly portray the notion of illusion or mirage prevalent in the world. The sabad emphasizes the significance of establishing an authentic relationship with and understanding the Creator, cautioning against accepting fabricated or simplistic explanations of the ੧/1. I use the word "prapanc" to convey the idea of play, display, or hypocrisy, highlighting the act of perceiving something that is not truly what it appears to be. While the story of Vishnu's death is intricate and captivating, it serves as a poignant reminder that something mortal cannot be the ੧/1, and one who has drowned cannot be the ੧/1 to guide you.

The imagery of being ferried across a challenging journey evoked cinematic depictions of crossing vast deserts, where weary travelers walk endlessly without finding water. In their state of dehydration and exhaustion, they may experience hallucinations of an oasis in the middle of the desert. By mistaking palm trees and water for relief, their hopes are shattered upon closer inspection, as they realize it was merely an illusion.

Deserts can be deceiving, with swirling winds and sand that obscure the landscape and distort our perception. We may perceive lush trees and bodies of water and mistake the moon for the sun. However, the ੧/1 remains ever-present, shining brightly in the constellation, illuminating the vastness of the sky. It signifies the boundless truth of the night scene.

‍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

ਕਲਿਆਨ ਪਾਤਿਸਾਹੀ ੧੦
ਬਿਨੁ ਕਰਤਾਰਿ   ਨ ਕਿਰਤਮ ਮਾਨੋ॥
ਆਦਿ ਅਜੋਨਿ ਅਜੈ ਅਬਿਨਾਸੀ   ਤਿਹ ਪਰਮੇਸੁਰ ਜਾਨੋ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ॥
ਕਹਾ ਭਯੋ ਜੋ ਆਨਿ ਜਗਤ ਮੈ   ਦਸਕੁ ਅਸੁਰ ਹਰਿ ਘਾਏ॥
ਅਧਿਕ ਪ੍ਰਪੰਚ ਦਿਖਾਇ ਸਭਨ ਕਹ   ਆਪਹਿ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ਕਹਾਏ॥੧॥
ਭੰਜਨ ਗੜ੍ਹਨ  ਸਮਰਥ ਸਦਾ ਪ੍ਰਭ   ਸੋ ਕਿਮਿ ਜਾਤਿ ਗਿਨਾਯੋ॥
ਤਾ ਤੇ ਸਰਬ ਕਾਲ ਕੇ ਅਸਿ ਕੋ   ਘਾਇ ਬਚਾਇ ਨ ਆਯੋ॥੨॥
ਕੈਸੇ ਤੋਹਿ ਤਾਰਿ ਹੈ ਸੁਨਿ ਜੜ੍ਹ   ਆਪਿ ਡੁਬ੍ਯੋ ਭਵ ਸਾਗਰਿ॥
ਛੁਟਿਹੋ ਕਾਲਫਾਂਸ ਤੇ ਤਬ ਹੀ   ਗਹੋ ਸਰਨਿ ਜਗਤਾਗਰ॥੩॥੧॥੫॥

Transcription

kaliān pātisāhī 10
binu kartāri   na kirtam māno.
ādi ajoni ajai abināsī   tih parmesur jāno.1. rahāu.
kahā bhayo jo āni jagat mai   dasaku asur hari ghāe.
adhik prapañc dikhāi sabhan kah   āpahi braham kahāe.1.
bhañjan gaṛhan  samrath sadā prabh   so kimi jāti gināyo.
tā te sarab kāl ke asi ko   ghāi bacāi na āyo.2.
kaise tohi tāri hai suni jaṛha   āpi ḍubyo bhav sāgari.
chuṭiho kālphāṁs te tab hī   gaho sarani jagtāgar.3.1.5.

Sabad Kirtan

Bhai Balbir Singh

Sabad Recitation

Harjinder Singh

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