Vahiguru ji ka Khalsa, Vahiguru ji ki Fatih!

​​In the Guru Granth Sahib, nestled between folios 296 and 300, lies the profound composition of Guru Arjan Sahib, known as Gauri Thiti. This sacred text, composed of seventeen pauris (stanzas) and saloks (couplets), reveals deep spiritual insights. The saloks, like droplets of wisdom, capture profound thoughts while the pauris expand upon them, offering a detailed exploration of these divine truths.

Gauri Thiti, which follows the revered Sukhmani Sahib, draws upon the lunar calendar as a foundation, particularly its fifteen days. Despite its brevity, Gauri Thiti resonates with the same simplicity and depth that characterize Sukhmani Sahib, making it a cherished recitation for those seeking spiritual solace.

To truly understand the essence of Gauri Thiti, we must first appreciate its cultural context. This composition is deeply rooted in the practices of astrologers and fortune tellers who, guided by the lunar calendar, dictated specific actions on particular days. This ancient tradition, which continues to influence individuals across the globe, perpetuates a calculated game of decisions and strategies. Lenders, spiritualists, and politicians have often shaped their actions based on these prescribed times and spaces.

In the third salok of Gauri Thiti, Guru Arjan Sahib says: The three qualities of Maya afflict the world; someone rare finds the fourth quality. Saints have become filth-free, in whose minds That One has dwelled.”

We pause.
We reflect.

What is Maya?
Maya, often translated as "illusion," is a formidable force that traps consciousness in worldly attachments and material desires. However, it is not just an external influence acting upon us; rather, Maya is a profound and pervasive experience that operates within us, manifesting differently for each individual. It shapes our perceptions and attachments, creating delusion and a distorted view of reality. In the Guru Granth Sahib, Maya symbolizes the alluring yet deceptive nature of the material world, distracting the being from its true purpose: connecting with IkOankar (the One Divine). Whether it takes the form of relationships, wealth, or sentimental objects, Maya becomes a source of separation from the Eternal when one mistakenly perceives these transient things as eternal. In this way, Maya is the veil that obscures the eternal truth, drawing the mind away from the Divine and into the fleeting, illusory pleasures of the world. Maya is created by IkOankar for our existence in the world. But we cling to Maya as ours; we are connected to relationships and things that are temporary. We are temporary, awaiting to connect with the Eternal!

What are the three qualities of Maya, and the fourth quality?
Guru Arjan Sahib refers to the three qualities of Maya on the third lunar day: rajo (energy, activity, passion, or ambition, marked by pain and restlessness), tamo (darkness, ignorance, negativity, or inactivity, marked by indifference or resistance to action), and sato (knowledge, consciousness, purity, and goodness, marked by pleasure and happiness). These qualities regulate our actions, dictate our diets, classify people, food, and drink into categories, and entangle us in a system of fear that governs our daily lives. The entire world is engrossed in some version of this system, whether within the Indic context or other contexts that similarly classify and regulate our existence.

Yet, some rise above these three qualities and the system they uphold. These rare individuals discover a fourth quality—a state of being beyond this system. These truth-exemplars live in a state of contentment and connection with the One. Guru Arjan Sahib reveals that the being in whose mind the One dwells, who feels the presence of the One, becomes unblemished and is liberated through Nam, Identification with that One. Fear-based paradigms no longer drive those who experience this presence and identify with it.

So, the question arises:
Can we become the rare ones who imbibe this fourth quality?

May the Wisdom-Guru guide us!