Today I was born!

In the land known as the City of Bliss
In the dwelling called the Fort of Uncut Hair
To the father who is the Energy of the World, The Lion: Nanak the Tenth
To the mother who is the Sovereign Master, Warrior Princess

Today I am born.  Today I am Free!

The ceremony of my birth was sweet like ambrosia
The Elixir of Immortality was stirred with All Iron and the Five Divine Poems:
Recitation
More Recitation
Beseeching of Thy Grace
Supplication of the Poet
The Song of Bliss.

The life giving rivers began to flow in my Uncut Hair
The sweet nectar was sprinkled in my eyes so that I could see clearly
The five gulps woke me up from my dehydrated lifelessness
I was made to roar over and over again: “The Sovereign is Yours! Victory is Yours!”
Today I am born. Today I am Free!

I was given the Five Gifts of Love on the day of my birth
Never part with them, I was told
I was advised to refrain from the Four Actions that lead to my death
I was taught to understand that from this day onward my affairs are the affairs of the Sovereign
And the Sovereign’s affairs were mine.
I was asked to envision the mouth of the poor to be the Treasure Chest of the Enlightener
Put one tenth in their mouths, then feed your own.
I was told the fight for Freedom is an ongoing journey.
Be Ever Ready, Ever Vigilant, Keep Fighting, Remain Bold

Today I am Free!

And I became a Sibling to the Sovereign Ones
Today I am Sovereign having destroyed my bondage
Destroyed the bondage of previous religious affiliations
Destroyed the bondage of previous caste and family affiliations
Destroyed the bondage of previous bad deeds
Destroyed the bondage of previous economic biases
Destroyed the bondage of previous doubts and polluted mindsets.

Today I, the sparrow, was made like the Hawk!

“Welcome aboard onto the Ship of Sovereignty!” I was told.
“Partake in the Karah of Grace from the same bowl as all passengers!” I am asked.
If you falter, we are here to pick you up.
If you falter, come with a humble attitude, all will be forgiven.
Be alert, do not wander.
Conduct all affairs after bowing to the Guru on High, use the Enlightened Mindset.
Remain in Ascending Spirits.
May your mind be focused in humility, but may your mindset be broad and exalted!

I am told to absorb Timelessness and Divine Wisdom constantly.
Yet I remember and never forget our collective history.
Once when my ancestors rescued would be slaves from the hoarders;
The learned kin of that community, grateful and joyous, wrote a song wishing glory upon us, the Sovereign One’s.

They sang the following and the traditions carry on:

May the transports remain decorated, war drums remain reverberated
May the enemies remain at bay, the turban-crowns on the heads glisten in the sun’s ray
May the communities flourish, the food and drink continue to replenish
May great peace and joy remain, all the work of righteousness they maintain
May the rides remain riding forever, the check-points move never
May the rest houses be full of activity, people come and go freely
May the courts be in session, singers singing with string instruments and percussion
May the standards flutter in the wind, the insignia of “Nanak and Gobind.”

Today I was born!
I was taught to constantly think of death
So I could learn how to live
I was taught the secret of how to eat iron despite being toothless
And how I was to facilitate the lion and the sheep to drink from the same pond
How my life was to matter by making other lives matter
How my ancestors changed the destiny of the world and how I need to continue to contribute to that mission.

Come join me!
When will you become my brother and sister?
Forsake intoxicants, decorate yourself like the Sovereign One, drink the Nectar stirred with Almighty Iron!
With every breath and every strand of hair may I sustain my life.

Today I was born!

Happy Vaisakhi – Inauguration of the Khalsa!
Birth of the Sovereign Ones!