Translation

1’s Identification
‍Why do you need to Identify with 1?

Devagandhari Sovereign 10
No one can be saved without Hari’s Nam, 1’s Identification.
That 1 Who controls the fourteen worlds, where can one run away from That 1?1. Pause-reflect.
Rama and Rahim can not ferry one across whose names one keeps repeating.
Brahma, Vishnu, Rudra, the sun, and the moon are all under the control of death.1.
All wisdoms of Vedas, Puranas, and Quran call That 1 infinite.
Indra, Sheshanaga, and great sages intensely concentrated for eons, but they still could not concentrate on That 1.2.
Whose form and color can not be recognized; how can That 1 be called Shyam-Krishna?
One will only be free from the death-web if one clings to the feet of That 1.3.2.10

Commentary

Devagandhari musical mode’s ancientness propels the listener to feel paradise, here and now. It empowers us to stop laziness and achieve contentment. 

Heaven is the notion of a happy afterlife of pleasant resorts, which the classically religious look forward to in the afterlife. For most people, the fear of hell is a powerful motivation to believe in faith, avoid sin, and generally behave virtuously. World religions and philosophies have multiple versions of heavens and hells; authors and exegetes have even more versions of interpretive heavens and hells. In Hinduism, there are fourteen worlds: seven higher ones or heavens and seven lower ones or hells.

Guru Gobind Singh Sahib, The Sovereign, conclusively declares: Without the Nam of Hari, there is no way anyone can be saved from the strike of death. Hari is All-Pervasive, Fear-Eliminator, Light, 1Force, the 1. Nam is the name, the attributes, the existence, the identity, and much more. Even the fourteen worlds of Hinduism, including the seven heavens and seven hells, are all under the Command of the 1. Where can anyone run and hide? My Sovereign tells me to experience freedom while alive and before death. I must identify with the 1, here and now, to do so. Then, I will stop efforts to secure a spot in any heaven and stop the stress to ensure no entry into any hell. 

My Sovereign explains via examples: No one like Rama or Rahim, whose names you have been repeating and remembering, can take you successfully across the earth’s journey. Brahma, Vishnu, Rudra, the sun, and the moon are all under the command of death. Rama refers to Rama Chandra, the king of Ayodhya, which implies incarnate Rama; Rahim refers to the merciful, which implies the prophet Muhammad. Rama and Rahim collectively refer to incarnates and prophets. Rudra refers to Shiva. My Sovereign tells me not to identify with anyone who eventually dies, regardless of their glory or impact on this earth. My Sovereign also tells me not to identify with the deities who rule a particular world or the celestial bodies that are the domain of a particular culture, no sun or moon dynasties. I can study their narratives and learn from their conduct, but I must identify with only the 1. The 1 beyond the cycle of birth and death!  

My Sovereign explains via illustrations: All the known great thoughts in texts like the Vedas, Puranas, and the Quran call the 1 the infinite one. Indra, Sheshanaga, and great sages have spent eons in intense concentrations, but they still could not concentrate on the 1. Vedas and Puranas are Aryan and Indic texts that extrapolate to scriptures related to Hinduism, Jainism, and Buddhism. The Quran is an Islamic text that extrapolates to scriptures related to Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Indra is the king of the heavens; Sheshanaga refers to Phanindra, the thousand-headed king of snakes; great sages refers to Munindra, like Brahma, Shiva, and Vishnu; and eons refers to Kalpa, which equals four Hindu eras, a day of Brahma, or 4.32 billion years. My Sovereign tells me to remain focused on the 1 who is infinite; many texts got it right, but most religions lost focus. My Sovereign also tells me to stay forever focused on the 1 who is infinite. Many heroes were busy ruling or concentrating for a very long time, like Googolplex years, but still lost focus. I can study the texts and learn from their exegesis, but I must identify with the 1 and only infinite 1—the 1 beyond comprehension.

My Sovereign explains via interrogation: The 1 with no designated form and color, how can anyone call That 1 Shyam-Krishna of the blue-violet-dark complexion? You will be saved from the web of death when you embrace the feet of the 1. My Sovereign tells me not to label the 1 with a particular color and form. To do that with an earthly authority or mythological character is a blunderous folly. My Sovereign tells me to shun my ego and, in humility, seek the mentorship of the 1. This is how I will be saved, freed from the network of intricate entrapments. This is how I-ness transforms into 1-ness. Which world do I want to be in and live in? The world where I am free, for I am identifying with the 1!

Will I Identify with the 1 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

I aim to depict the complexity surrounding the numerous beliefs promising salvation. Drawing inspiration from Guru Gobind Singh Sahib’s sabad, I present profound questions that encourage contemplation about who or what genuinely wields control over the world and can provide authentic salvation. Through my artistic expression, I emphasize the sabad's profound message, highlighting the completeness and unwavering certainty of the ੧/1 as the ultimate source of enlightenment and liberation. My artwork reflects the pursuit of genuine spiritual understanding amidst the intricacies of diverse beliefs and ideologies.

The sabad astutely points out that in our quest for ultimate control and security, only the ੧/1 embodies completeness and unwavering certainty.

I've conveyed this idea through a compelling visual narrative. A dark hand of Death firmly clutches 14 ovals, symbolizing the 14 worlds mentioned in the sabad's opening line. These vertical ovals, reminiscent of traditional depictions in Hindu art, interconnect, signifying the interconnectedness of these worlds. As alluded to in the sabad, the net of Death intricately links to this hand, ensnaring symbols of gods, deities, and celestial entities like the sun and moon, which are inherently impermanent and lacking omnipotence.

In my artwork, you'll encounter Indra, Vishnu, and Shiva representations, each embodying facets of Divine power depicted in traditional Hindu art styles—with lightning, a conch shell, and various postures. They serve as poignant reminders that even these revered deities are subject to death's command and incapable of granting ultimate salvation.

On the right side of the piece stands the ੧/1, untouched by orbs, hands, and stars, symbolizing the clarity and protective essence of the ੧/1 amid the complexities of belief systems and the pursuit of genuine salvation.

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

ਦੇਵਗੰਧਾਰੀ ਪਾਤਿਸਾਹੀ ੧੦
ਬਿਨੁ ਹਰਿਨਾਮੁ   ਨ ਬਾਚਨ ਪੈ ਹੈ॥
ਚੌਦਹਲੋਕ ਜਾਹਿ ਬਸਿ ਕੀਨੇ   ਤਾ ਤੇ ਕਹਾਂ ਪਲੈ ਹੈ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ॥
ਰਾਮ ਰਹੀਮ ਉਬਾਰਿ ਨ ਸਕਿ ਹੈ   ਜਾਕਰ ਨਾਮੁ ਰਟੈ ਹੈ॥
ਬ੍ਰਹਮਾ ਬਿਸਨੁ ਰੁਦ੍ਰ ਸੂਰਜ ਸਸਿ   ਤੇ ਬਸਿ ਕਾਲ ਸਬੈਹੈ॥੧॥
ਬੇਦ ਪੁਰਾਨ ਕੁਰਾਨ ਸਬੈ ਮਤਿ   ਜਾਕਰ ਨੇਤਿ ਕਹੈ ਹੈ॥
ਇੰਦ੍ਰ ਫਨਿੰਦ੍ਰ ਮੁਨਿੰਦ੍ਰ ਕਲਪ ਬਹੁ   ਧਿਆਵਤਿ ਧਿਆਨ ਨ ਐ ਹੈ॥੨॥
ਜਾਕਰ ਰੂਪ ਰੰਗ ਨਹਿ ਜਨਿਯਤਿ   ਸੋ ਕਿਮ ਸ੍ਯਾਮ ਕਹੈ ਹੈ॥
ਛੁਟਿਹੋ ਕਾਲਜਾਲ ਤੇ ਤਬ ਹੀ   ਤਾਹਿ ਚਰਨ ਲਪਟੈ ਹੈ॥੩॥੨॥੧0॥

Transcription

devgandhārī pātisāhī 10
binu harināmu   na bācan pai hai.
caudahlok jāhi basi kīno   tā te kahāṁ palai hai.1. rahāu.
rām rahīm ubāri na saki hai   jākar nāmu raṭai hai.
brahmā bisanu rudra sūraj sasi   te basi kāl sabaihai.1.
bed purān kurān sabai mati   jākar neti kahai hai.
indra phanindra munindra kalap bahu   dhiāvati dhiān na ai hai.2.
jākar rūp raṅg nahi janiyati   so kim sayām kahai hai.
chuṭiho kāljāl te tab hī   tāhi caran lapṭai hai.3.2.10.

Sabad Kirtan

Bhai Balbir Singh

Sabad Recitation

Harjinder Singh